Love Me Dead
by Lace Kyoko
Summary: RENOVATED! Azrael is just a simple girl who wants a little pain in her life. But will she bite off more than she can chew with Bakura in her sights?
1. Chapter 1

**Hello everyone! This is the renovated Love Me Dead. That story was honestly getting mixed up with Forever and Beyond. I needed to completely rewrite it. So here is Chpater 1.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! But I own my story and characters. :)**

Ch. 1 Cherry Bomb Plans

Azrael Onikso was always a masochist. She thrived on pain. She sucked it in and it nourished her soul.

Her parents were the type to beat their children with a belt when the children would misbehave. Her dad would get the tough leather belt and pull her pants down far enough so her pale cheeks were exposed and he would hit her with all his strength.

She **never** cried out though. In fact, she laughed maniacally in his face. It seemed appropriate that, being her parents enjoyed Western culture, she was named after the angel of death. Of course, she herself was not entirely Japanese, her father being part Russian and Irish of all things, but her mother was entirely Japanese.

Her parents grew concerned and they took her to a psychiatrist when she was only nine years old. Through many tests, it was discovered that Azrael liked the pain. It was determined that she had a high pain tolerance, exceedingly high to the point that she found sexual pleasure in it, if a nine year old could, which apparently she did. The psychiatrist diagnosed her as a masochist.

Her parents looked at it this way; if she ever got into an abusive relationship, at least she'd be happy.

Oh how right they were.

Azrael through the years of growing up found many ways to attain that pleasurable pain.

She would catch lizards and let them bite her.

She constantly got into fights at school, relishing in her own blood.

She would cuss and misbehave on purpose so her parents would beat her.

One time, she jumped off the roof and screamed out in ecstasy at the crack of her femur.

That's when her parents decided enough was enough. Azrael needed help. She needed to learn that pain wasn't a good thing.

They sent her to an asylum.

Azrael liked it there. The people were so interesting.

Betty "Loon" Johnson was left to her own madness when her very old and very rich husband passed on, leaving his Japanese household to her. She was obsessed with her own reflection and was sent to the asylum to be taught that her reflection was really just her. It turns out, she knew that all along. She just loved herself.

"Lolita" Keiko was a nymphomaniac and was sent there when her parents found her with her brother's best friend in a compromising position. She was eight, he was nineteen.

"Buddy" Kazuhiko was schizophrenic and was convinced that aliens were after him. When there weren't aliens, the werewolves and vampires would be fighting under his bed. And when _those_ weren't there, the creature from the black lagoon was hiding in his toilet. He had lived in America at some point, and thus all those Western horror icons haunted him.

Hiro cut himself because it alleviated his soul's pain. Azrael asked pointedly if she could borrow the razor.

She loved these people. They were all so unique. They understood her desire for pain. It was her only pleasure. Pain was what made her Azrael. It wasn't her long cherry red hair that was never cut, or her tan skin with no freckles, which was rare amongst natural red heads. It wasn't her emerald green eyes. Pain was what made Azrael who she was: a devout masochist.

The nurses at the asylum, or "rest home" as they liked to call it, made sure to keep anything potentially hazardous away from the pain-loving little girl. However, they never realized they were dealing with a super genius. Let's just say Azrael was creative. She could find pain in a padded room.

When she had somehow broken her arm in a straightjacket in the padded room, they decided that her IQ needed to be tested. No normal person could have done such a thing! The head psychiatrist made her take the test and her IQ was discovered to be 192. It was exceedingly high for her generation. Azrael's love for pain was not only insanity; it was her own way of dealing with her own genius. For, we all know that geniuses are tortured souls that tend to get bored.

They realized that there was potentially nothing stopping the little girl from obtaining pain. She _would_ find a way. The only thing they could think to do was to put her in an accelerated schooling program so she wouldn't grow bored. Geniuses need work.

Azrael studied everything. When she was only 13, she had accepted a high school diploma, and had also attained the Valedictorian status. At 15, she was already on her way to getting a college degree. She aimed for the doctorate and only two days from her 16th birthday, she got her doctorate in psychology of all things.

She was now mature enough and intelligent enough to act like she needn't pain, and when they did tests on her to be sure she was really feeling the pain as it was intended to be felt, she lied convincingly. She was set free at the age of 17.

She lived with her mother, as her father died of a heart attack. Azrael was an only child now, too. Her younger twin siblings, Izzy and Abby had committed double suicide, though it could have also been considered homicide with the other's consent. No one really knew.

Despite that Azrael had her doctorate, the law still required she go to high school until she was no longer a minor. She, being a super genius, decided she would reinvent herself at this high school of her choosing. She chose Domino High School, only a mile away.

She bought her uniform and made some adjustments. She ripped the blazer at the elbows in the sleeves and put plaid patches over the holes. She added criss-crossing stitches to the sides of the blue pleated skirt and instead of a white dress shirt, she wore a black tank top instead. For socks, she found colorful knee highs at various stores and her shoes were black and scuffed. She also wore thick black makeup on her eyes. She pierced her ears herself and had about five piercings in her lobes each and three in the cartilage. She went from a raving lunatic to a punk rocker in one day. However, she didn't have the heart to cut her hair. It was past her butt at this point, undulating in natural waves, standing out against her tan skin.

The teacher introduced her to the class. She was met with stares of fright. She grinned, flashing white teeth. The teacher sat her next to a white haired boy whose name she found to be Ryou Bakura. In her time at the asylum, she only knew a handful of boys, but none were as angelic as he. Ryou's hair was obviously his stand out feature, but she grew to like his eyes. They were chocolate brown, innocent and deep, like a deer's. His skin was a tad pale, but it glowed. He had a nice physique too, and she wondered if he had any experience yet. Seeing all the fan girls he had, she figured he had to have slept with at least one, but Ryou's calm and pure demeanor told her otherwise. She herself had no experience either, but that was okay. She was however, determined to get into _his_ pants, no matter the cost. She wanted his body desperately inside her own. She knew this was her god's work, whoever her god was. She practically worshipped all of them.

She didn't understand why she lusted after Ryou after meeting him for five seconds. Perhaps it was love at first sight. Perhaps it was just her accelerated mind jumping ahead. She was not very patient. Regardless, she wanted to take him, on the desk, there and now, and pound him into her, with all the other students watching.

The first step would be earning Ryou's friendship. This wouldn't be too difficult, because he already had a large group of friends who pretty much welcomed anyone in their group. There was Mutou Yugi with his star shaped hair and tiny stature and his compassion and kindness to all. There was Jonouchi Katsuya with his honey blonde hair that was soft like a Golden Retriever's and his take-nobody's-shit attitude. There was Honda Hiroto with his loyal character and flirtatious attitude toward Jonouchi's sister, Shizuka. Otogi Ryuji was a natural charmer and made all girls swoon, whether it is because of his nice hair, or his sea green eyes. Mazaki Anzu had determination and she had a killer figure, earning many side stares from the male student body, but she didn't notice. There was Malik Ishtar who was a foreigner, Egyptian, and his dark tan, straw colored hair and lavender eyes earned him a space for popularity too. Then there was Kaiba Seto. He didn't consider himself a part of the group, but Azrael could tell he wanted to be and Yugi wanted him to be too. Seto was an all around beauty. He was natural. Despite being rich beyond compare, Azrael knew he wasn't the type to spend hours fixing his hair. In fact, he probably cut it himself. She was appreciative of his eyes; they were cerulean blue and deep. He too had a nice figure: tall, lean, and lanky. She knew beyond his cold stare and air of indifference he wanted acceptance desperately and she could tell he respected Yugi.

She knew everyone's secrets, or at least could tell they had secrets. From her stay in the asylum, she learned quickly how to read people. She was now on the verge of being psychic, a true Miss Cleo. Her new friends of course would never find out. She liked her little secret. She liked it almost as much as she liked Ryou. Oh, how she wanted him…

The second step of acquiring Ryou's sweet loving for her own desire was to go out with him. Not necessarily as an item, but just as friends. He could even invite his friends. So long as she got to hang out with him, it was good. She just needed to be with him so she could start to seduce him.

The third step would be to try to get him alone during their little hang out. She thought a movie theatre would be perfect. It was dark, everyone would be into the movie, and she could show him in subtle ways that she was more than interested.

The fourth step would be to go out on a date with him and earn his love. That could be achieved at a dinner, an amusement park, or somewhere teen couples hung out.

Her final step was to get him alone in his room or her room. This could only be achieved if he met her mom's requirements and if her mom/his parents trusted them together alone. This could also only be achieved if he was either willing or seduced.

And finally, she could be given the ultimate pain: the popping of the cherry.

**Review please! I want anyone who read the original to give some new insight to this. Chapter 1 wasn't changed too much, but I wanted to keep with the Japanese culture, so some names were changed, and some details added. Review and tell me what you think! :D**


	2. Chapter 2

**For anyone watching this story, I do apologize for delaying it so. I have gotten involved in other things and I completely forgot about this story. Also, I find that beginning chapters are sometimes harder to write than chapters that have the content that made you start the story in the first place. All in all, I do hope you enjoy this chapter.**

**If you've read the original Love Me Dead, before I decided to renovate it, then you'll hopefully be pleasantly surprised that this chapter has more content and is more descriptive of Azrael's day. I felt the first time I wrote the story, everything was going too hard and too fast and getting mixed up with my other story. After all, I had Azrael kinda sorta falling for Kaiba! WHAT. No, this will be strictly a Ryou/BakuraxOC fic. I guarantee it. Also, I wanted this story to just be more mature and actually have substance.**

**Also, I tried very hard to not reference the abridged. This is going to follow the manga/anime, not any parodies. I love humor, but this story needs some seriousness to it. You can read First Comes Love Eternal for your breaking the fourth wall fix.**

**Yu-Gi-Oh! is the intellectual property of Kazuki Takahashi and any associates. I do not profit from writing fanfiction and I do not claim to own the characters. Azrael is my original OC and this particular story is mine, but any YGO-related characters are not my own. Please enjoy the story and review. :)**

Ch. 2: Plan in Motion

Azrael wasted no time in befriending Ryou. Once class had settled down at her arrival, and she was seated by the pretty boy, she made sure that he knew she wanted a friend.

In her thin scrawl, Azrael wrote Ryou a note, introducing herself.

_Hi_, it said. It was simple, and straight to the point.

She passed the note to Ryou undetected. His interest piqued, he read her nano-message, and quickly wrote back_, Hello. :)_

When he passed it back, she saw the smiley face. This was a good sign. He was friendly. Quite friendly. She quickly replied with_ How are you? My name is Azrael_.

While the teacher was passing out yesterday's tests to each individual student, Azrael hid the note under her notebook. Once the teacher passed Ryou's desk, handing him his test with a grade of 102, Azrael quickly deposited the note onto Ryou's desk before the teacher could even turn around.

Ryou, admiring her tenacity, read the note, while pretending to be reviewing his results. When the teacher went back up to the front to discuss why some students had done so poorly, Ryou composed his reply.

_Well, I'm quite fine, thank you. I made a 102 on my test so right now I'm quite ecstatic. My name is Ryou, though you know that. Nice to meet you._

Being that the teacher sat Azrael next to Ryou, he asked him to let Azrael know what was going on by letting her use his notes. The teacher went on with reviewing the results. Ryou nodded, handed the notebook to Azrael, which also contained the note. Azrael smirked at his cleverness.

She quickly scanned it of its contents, and put_ Nice to meet you too. So I'm guessing we're going over asymptotes?_

_Keep it casual_, she thought to herself.

After "copying" his notes (Azrael's best subject was math while in the asylum, so she was an expert at asymptotes), she handed him his notes back. Their secret note, still intact, was again hidden in his notebook's pocket, and he smiled to himself. Ryou was not the best at math, but he was good at it and knew his knowledge may help his newfound acquaintance.

_Yes, actually_, he wrote in his smooth handwriting. _Are you familiar with them?_

Class was just about to be over, so the teacher gave the students time to relax before classes changed. Azrael turned to Ryou, and joked with, "Well, at least now we can actually talk."

Ryou nodded, tucking the note away in his notebook. He started the conversation with, "So are you familiar with asymptotes?"

Inside, Azrael grimaced because she was disappointed that he was only interested in math. She had to make a very quick decision, one that could cost her chances with Ryou.

She did not want him to know that she was a genius. She especially did not want him to know she was fantastic at math. However, playing a dumb bimbo would get annoying very quick. But it would allow him to tutor her and they could get closer. She opted for that one.

"My last school was just going over them before I left, but I didn't get the full lesson on them." She almost added, "Perhaps you could tutor me…?" But that would make her seem super desperate, and that is not always the best way to start a new relationship.

He nodded. "Well, if you need help, I can always be of assistance." He smiled at her. Azrael's heart skipped a beat, but she kept calm. Her plan was actually working. He had to like her… He had to…

"I would very much appreciate that." Her small mouth ascended into a sultry simper, and she saw Ryou's get slightly wider as well. Her feminine charms could easily win him over.

The bell rang and the teacher left the classroom as the students took this opportunity to talk about whatever they wanted without being overheard by an adult. Teachers at Domino High School could be quite hysterical about certain conversation topics. Immediately, Azrael heard F-bomb after F-bomb dropped, caught quite a bit of dirty talk, and listened in on others' plans for the weekend. She never realized high school could be such a stimulating place, double-entendre intended.

She could have sworn she heard Honda talk about masturbating to a snippet of a picture of "Shizuka's" panties, but she had no time to wonder who Shizuka was because the next period's teacher walked in, ready to start once the bell rang.

As it turned out, this was a substitute. The poor fool went into a cold sweat, and stammered while struggling to speak to the class of 24. He wrote his name in messy kanji on the chalk board, a Nobu-san. He scooted his glasses up on his nose with his index finger before checking the roll. The students' chatter died down, but they were still engrossed in their own conversations, chairs turned to each peer, sitting improperly in their desks as they waited for the sub's command.

"O-ok, c-class," he barely sputtered. "I am N-nobu-san, and t-today, w-we'll be g-going over n-notes from yesterday." He grabbed a file that had "busy" work from his bag and proceeded to pass the notes out until Jonouchi Katsuya decided it would be hella funny to trip the poor man.

Azrael was not anyone's savior, but she felt that Ryou was the kind of guy who would fight for the side of good, if he weren't so timid. Azrael spat at Jonouchi, "Jonouchi-chan, that is awfully rude of you. Apologize to Nobu-san!" The student's laughed at the patronizing Jonouchi received from the new girl. Clearly, they all feared her. They wanted to get on her good side so they wouldn't be next. They all had victims' complexes.

_I'm guessing this school has a bully problem_, she thought to herself. _Interesting…_

Jonouchi spat right back at her. "Who are you, you newbie? You're just the new girl." Some people laughed at Jonouchi, but others grimaced. They knew this wouldn't end well.

Azrael glared at him, standing up and slamming her desk. "Oh, so you're using the 'new student' tactic to try and make my position seem weak? Really now, Jonouchi-chan," she pouted at him in mock pity, "you are really quite a pathetic bully. You should stand outside and think of how awful you are."

The entire class erupted in applause. _This wasn't even a good speech. Are they that desperate for a savior?_ Even the sub seemed relieved, and demanded Jonouchi to leave the classroom and stand outside like Azrael said. Azrael, a bit confused, was happy to know she was already on good terms with the class.

_Heh, that was easy_.

She sat down and looked at Ryou. He just stared at her in disbelief. "You're quite something you know that?"

She smiled. _If you only knew…_ "Haha, it was nothing. Bullies just bother me." It wasn't entirely true. She liked being on top was all. "So what class is this…?"

Ryou looked at the board. "This is Science. We're going over our Biology unit."

Azrael nodded. She loved sciences in general. "I love science," she stated.

Ryou looked at her. "Is it your best subject?"

Azrael decided it was bad enough she lied about math, so a little tit for tat. "Yeah, actually. It's interesting to learn how the world is made and how it functions."

Ryou nodded. "That it is!"

Azrael just smiled in response as the teacher handed out the busy work. Apparently, it was a worksheet designed with the Biology unit in mind. Read the book. Answer the questions. How simple.

Azrael looked at one of the questions. _Please list all taxonomic levels in order._

Azrael thought calmly to herself, _You're kidding me right? This is considered high school work?_

Graduating would be easier than she imagined.

The substitute allowed the students to work in groups and so Azrael immediately latched onto Ryou. Many girls in the class seemed disappointed.

As they did their work, they got to know each other quietly. She found that Ryou had moved to Domino from another town. In fact, he had been to many places, one of them being Britain.

"Oh, what's Britain like?" Azrael asked, genuinely intrigued.

"Oh, it's quite lovely, really. The food is different from Japanese food and the weather is a bit dreary, but overall it's quite a nice place. Of course, I'm only describing London." Ryou blushed.

"You might as well be describing the moon, Bakura-kun!" Azrael whispered coquettishly. "I've never been outside of Japan, but I think London would be a lovely place to visit one day!" She giggled quietly, sweetly.

"Perhaps one day we could go together, and I could show you everything." Azrael's heart stopped. Her plan was going _perfectly_. Even if he only meant as friends, the fact that he offered to go to London with her one day was a good sign.

"Bakura-kun, I'm honored! I'd love to go to London with you." She looked up at him through her lashes, fluttering them so femininely. His face turned a bright shade of red and he looked away.

Her behavior made her want to throw up, but if it got Ryou in her pants, who really gave a crap?

That class had ended finally, and Azrael and Ryou were the only group to actually finish their work. Before the sub left, he thanked her for her daring rescue. She acknowledged him with a nod.

She turned to Ryou as the bell rang. "What class is next, Bakura-kun?"

"Japanese and it's our literature unit. It's fairly easy. After that is Japanese Government, then it's Economics, then lunch break, then PE, after that is English, and then lastly we have Geography." She nodded.

"That sounds like quite a load." She laughed quietly.

"Yes, and even more so if any of us have after-school clubs! That's when things can get hectic!" He laughed along with her.

"Oh Bakura-kun!" She giggled. "Are you a part of any clubs?"

His eyes darkened just a tad. It frightened her. Azrael was genuinely concerned. "Unfortunately no. I have prior arrangements that forbid me to attend clubs."

Her eyes drooped. She really wanted to go do extracurricular activities with him. "Oh. I'm sorry."

"It's fine." His face brightened. "But you should definitely check it out. If it were me," he paused to think, "I'd join the art club."

Azrael sat up straighter, feigning being impressed. "Oh! Maybe I will check it out!" She smiled enthusiastically. She'd do anything to get that awful smirk away…

…Though it was quite sexy, and easily told her how even the innocent, timid Ryou Bakura could be just a tad…

…_sadistic._

And for her, a masochist, a sexy, sadistic boy was a dream come true. Thanks, Santa!

* * *

><p>The classes seemed to drag for Azrael. She had gone through all of this before after all, so she quite literally <em>knew everything<em> the teachers were attempting to teach.

But when the bell rang, signifying lunch was going to begin soon, her spirits perked. The students soon dispersed among themselves, rearranging the desks so they could all sit in their associated cliques. Azrael quickly joined the Yugi-tachi, sitting next to Ryou, and soon joined Anzu's rant on disrespecting teachers.

Of course, Mazaki Anzu was referring to Jonouchi.

He had given Azrael the evil eye when she joined their group. She simply gave it right back. Emerald daggers were thrown his way, but his hazel orbs absorbed them and countered with their own. Jonouchi and Azrael were having an inner battle and the other friends didn't even realize it.

Ryuji had started to flirt with Azrael. He smirked, flaunted his good stuff, and made small conversation with her. Azrael accepted his advances, but only because she didn't want to come off as impolite. She did want to befriend these people after all.

They were hardly stimulating people though. They mostly talked about Duel Monsters and other games, occasionally mentioning something about a certain "Yami," which Azrael wished they would go more in depth about. She did not want to question them, since she didn't want to be seen as nosy, and also because it didn't really matter. If they didn't want to open up about this man, then she wouldn't force them to.

But Yugi beat her to the punch. "Oh, Azrael-san, I forgot that you don't know Yami!"

She smiled sweetly. "It's ok, Yugi-kun. I assume he is a friend of yours?"

He nodded. "Yes, he… is a friend. He… has amnesia and slowly he is remembering where he came from and who he is… We call him Yami, but it isn't his real name."

She caught that much. Yami meant "darkness" in Japanese and she doubted anyone would name their child as such. She also caught his hesitance, like he was hiding something. She was predatory, and wanted to find out more info. "Oh? Where… is he from?"

"Egypt," Yugi answered simply, almost as if dodging the subject.

Azrael was a masochist; to further pursue the subject was a sadistic move. She nodded, clearly understanding that talking of "Yami" hurt Yugi, or so she thought. Perhaps Yami is more than a friend to Yugi. He could be a brother in spirit or even a forbidden lover. Whatever the case, Yugi clearly did not want to speak of him and the mysteries that surrounded him.

She nodded. "Ah, I see." She changed the subject. "Yugi-kun, do you not want your shallots?" She indicated the tiny green onions hiding in Yugi's rice.

He shook his head. "No. I don't like shallots." He offered them to her. "I assume you do?"

"I'm not entirely picky with my food," she said, as Yugi poured the rice and shallots into her bowl. "Thanks, Yugi-kun."

He smiled at her. "No problem."

And that was her day at school. Lunch passed by quickly after that one confrontation and once the students cleaned up their mess, they headed to the locker rooms to change into their PE uniforms. Azrael disliked PE uniforms. She knew in America, the students just wore mesh shorts and a cotton shirt. Japan wasn't too different in that regard. Azrael's shirt was white, a simple crew collar, and her name was sewn on it. She assumed that when her mother registered her at the school, they did the embroidery very quickly. It was the shorts, or rather "bloomers."

The bloomers, in all their glory, were simply polyester panties. They were cut like a modest two piece swimsuit bottom and the leg of them stopped promptly where her buttocks met her hamstrings. They were a dark blue color and very itchy. The hem of the tiny pants rubbed against her inner thigh and, though it irritated most, it pleased her in ways it shouldn't have. She simply didn't like the length though. She knew Duke was checking out her butt, as were most of the guys, but it was something the girls had to deal with. Why, she would never know. At least she had nice legs.

When Azrael changed back into her normal school uniform, she felt tempted to look at the other girls for mere observation. Anzu had an amazing rack, so she observed, and she was wearing a simple T-shirt bra! Anzu would never need a push-up.

There was a girl in their class named Miho who seemed particularly fond of their group, though they weren't of her. Honda-kun seemed to be smitten by her though. Her lavender hair swept primly over her shoulder, trailing along her small chest and tickling her petite waist. She was tiny all the way around and wore lacey undergarments.

All the girls in her class were very pale, as was expected, being that they were all Japanese, so Azrael felt very much like an ugly duckling with her very dark skin, red hair, and emerald eyes. She examined herself in a mirror in the changing room. She could see the Japanese clearly. Her eyes were slanted and almond shaped enough. The red hair and green eyes were from her Irish heritage. She had a Russian build. Where did the dark skin come from? And then she remembered. Her father was a mix of many descents, Irish and Russian just being the two prominent ones, but Azrael remembered that her great-grandmother on her father's side was of some South America descent, possibly even being a full native. Everything seemed to make sense.

She shrugged it away, finishing getting dressed and left with the class to start their next course.

* * *

><p>Azrael packed her book bag carefully. School had ended and it was time to possibly visit the art club. Ryou said he was interested in it.<p>

As she put her binders and folders away, Ryou approached her. "Hello, Azrael," he politely greeted.

"Hello, Bakura-kun!" She brightly chirruped. She wanted to appear as friendly as possible, even if she was solving all her math homework in her head. "Do you need something?"

He shook his head. "Oh not really, I was just erm… I wanted to talk to you." He bowed politely, shyly.

"Oh?" She mouthed, playing dumb though she had a hunch of what was about to happen.

"You don't have to be so formal with me," he began, his pulse making his voice waver, "though I am being so with you. I can't help it; it's in my nature. But," he stood up, trying to make eye contact. He looked away. "I would prefer if you just addressed me by my first name, if it isn't too much to ask." He bowed again.

Azrael nodded to herself, her hunch not being too far off the track. She knew he wouldn't profess his eternal love to her just yet, but she figured something like this would occur. "Um, sure… Ryou…-kun…?" She tested out the new name with mock trepidation, though he would never know.

He smiled. "That's perfect." He practically purred the words out. "Is it alright if I call you Azrael-chan?"

"Az-chan is fine." She said. "I know my name is a bit different from the more traditional Japanese names."

He nodded again. "Yes." An awkward, yet pleasant silence drifted between them. It signified that Azrael's plan was working perfectly. It was almost too scary.

"Um," he tried to break the silence.

"Yes?" Azrael hummed.

"Are… Did you want to join any clubs?"

She smiled. "Yes. I was going to check out the art club actually."

His face brightened. "Oh, you listened to my suggestion!" But then his face fell. "Oh, but I didn't mean to…! Oh, if you didn't actually want to, and are just humoring me… You don't have to…"

She shook her head, amused by his embarrassment. He was _too_ cute. "Oh, no, I actually do enjoy art. I draw a bit, and I think joining a club could really fuel any artistic talent I may or may not have."

He blushed. "Oh… Well, I'm happy to hear it…"

She wasted no time. "Did you want to come along?" She knew he had other things that preoccupied him, but perhaps his prior obligations could wait.

His face went blank for a bit, as he was trying to think about it. At least, that's what Azrael assumed. She had no idea Ryou was really having a conversation with another being.

"_So bold Ryou! You should humour the little wench and go with her. I don't mind."_

_But you are planning something…! You want to hurt her!_

"_H-heh h-heh, that may be true, but I have a feeling she'd enjoy it…"_

Ryou snapped from his thoughts. "Um, I…"

"_JUST TELL HER YOU WILL!_ _I'll ignore my more… homicidal tendencies."_

Ryou swallowed nervously. "I will. It'll be fun."

Azrael looked at him as if he were a new species. He seemed downright nervous about it. Either he was intimidated by her because he liked her, or there was something going on after school that could get him in major trouble if he didn't attend.

"Are you sure? I don't want you to get in trouble…"

He waved it aside. "I won't! It's no big deal! I've wanted to for so long, and I think now is as good as any time!"

She nodded. "Well, let's head to the art club!" She linked her arm in his and practically dragged him to the room, even though she had no idea where it was.

_Friendship? Check._ She thought diabolically to herself.

**THIS CHAPTER. SO MUCH PAIN. It was one of those chapters where I just had to keep everything basic. I wanted so badly to just have them fornicating on the floor, but c'mon guys. It's the second chapter. As an author, I need to control MY smut tendencies.**

**Please review! I do so appreciate it! :D**


	3. Chapter 3

**I sincerely apologize for not uploading on a more prompt basis. Expect long waits for updates.**

**But I do like this story and I like how I'm going about it, so I intend to finish it...someday.**

Ch. 3 Pain comes in Many Forms

The art club meeting was fun and Azrael knew she could probably make new friends. Tortured artists were just as entertaining as asylum inmates. If all asylum inmates are entertaining, then all artists are tortured, and therefore, asylum inmates are tortured too. It was logic at its best.

Ryou and Azrael exited the classroom together giggling about some joke the sponsor had said. Ryou seemed so reserved around his friends, but around her he was more expressive and his laugh… It was gentle, like the tinkling of chimes, but it was also loud like the ringing of a church bell. It was an adorable sound and it made her more joyous. He held the door open for her as they left the school building. "Western custom…" He muttered. Azrael knew about Western customs. She had absorbed as much culture as was possible, since she wanted to see what cultural traits she could have possibly emulated from her own mixed heritage. She just waved it aside and they continued their trek.

As they exited the school gates, Kaiba Seto brushed past them to get to his limousine. From what Ryou's friend Yugi told her, Seto, or as he was preferred to be called Kaiba by anyone who was not directly related to him, owned the gaming company Kaiba Corp. He was literally a child billionaire. Yugi described him as a good person, one who had just been roughed up throughout life, but Jonouchi interceded and claimed Kaiba was the biggest prick on earth. Either way, from what Azrael was told, it seemed to sound like Kaiba would be the ultimate pain inducer. The others told her that he was cold, ruthless, arrogant, and held a grudge against everyone. He wasn't afraid to step on the little people and he had a rough childhood. Azrael smirked. Mommy and Daddy issues were a huge turn on for her. It led to some seriously messed up individuals who were looking for a good lay. She stopped by his limo, admiring the sleek black beauty. It reminded her of a huge black dildo she had seen in a porno she came across by accident on the internet. Thank goodness her mother did not know about parental blocks. And to think that what would happen if a dildo that size was shoved into her… Oh gosh the pain that could induce. She'd be the happiest mortal on the planet. She looked at Ryou from the corner of her eye. _Perhaps I went for the wrong person…_

"Hmmm? Azrael, perhaps we shouldn't stand so close to Kaiba-san's limo. He gets touchy…" Ryou gently pulled her away, in the opposite direction the limo took. She stared as it simply vanished along the horizon. She shrugged. "He seems like a lonely guy."

"I agree," mused Ryou. "I do not know him well enough to say, but I think that perhaps Kaiba-san would like to have friends. But I am not him, and I cannot make him befriend us."

Azrael smirked, still staring in the limo's direction. "I bet I can."

Ryou chuckled, gently, like Azrael was making a good joke. "I doubt that. Even Anzu and Yugi, who pride themselves on friendship, have never broken through that icy shell. I think the only person who can is his little brother."

Azrael broke her gaze and looked at Ryou quizzically. "Brother?"

"Yes, from what I know, Kaiba-san only has a brother. He's an orphan if I understand correctly." They walked along Azrael's indicated path. In Japan, to-school routes and to-home routes were given to students in order to minimize the chance of ditching homework and to discourage illicit activities, such as hanging out at the arcade. No one listened to these rules though.

"Oh, well, then he must really be lonely." Azrael mused as she walked along the path, looking at the nonsensical addresses. The address system in Japan was so confusing, since none of the buildings were numbered in numerical order, but in order of being erected. Why anyone would decide to create a system so complicated was beyond even her.

Ryou didn't answer and just walked silently beside her. She piped up with, "Why did he stay so late? Isn't he a CEO? What business does he have at the school?" _Why is he so hot and yet so untouchable?_

Ryou shrugged. "Maybe he wanted to procrastinate the time he would have to spend in the office. I can imagine even someone like him would begrudge that every day."

Azrael nodded. "That could be a possibility."

The talk of Kaiba was clearly coming to a close and neither really responded with other inquiries of Kaiba Seto's life after school. Their walk was silent still until Ryou popped up with, "So, um, where do you live?"

"A couple more blocks down. Why?" Azrael grinned at him. "Were you just following me?"

"Actually, I dragged you. This is the route I take too." They stopped at an intersection before crossing. "I live in an apartment by myself."

Azrael's ovaries caught on fire then. _This has got to be the most fortuitous event I have ever encountered in my life._

"Wow! That must be exciting," she enthused. "I'm sure a lot of your friends are envious."

"Well," Ryou grimaced, like he ate a rancid _onigiri_. "It's due to certain circumstances. I simply can't live with anyone."

Azrael looked at him, genuinely surprised. _Ryou can't live with people? Is he a threat?_ She inwardly scoffed at this. "I doubt someone like you is so abominable that you have to live by yourself. You're too sweet."

Ryou blushed. "You flatter me…" He sighed. "It's just due to some things that happened at my past schools. I have to even be careful when I make friends."

Azrael found this boy quite puzzling. He was possibly the sweetest person ever, yet he seemed to degrade himself. Perhaps he had low self-esteem, but that couldn't be possible. He had friends and fangirls even, and he just didn't seem the type. But he was reserved and quiet around his friends and if he said something particularly strange, they did make faces. She stored that possibility for later. She postulated on him possibly having some sort of mental disorder. This was the only logical one that she had yet to prove or disprove. He did seem distant when she asked him to join her at the art club. Maybe he had a sociopathic disorder.

She looked at him as they stopped at yet another intersection. "You know, you don't have to hide everything. You can trust me." After all, trusting her was the only way she'd get him in her pants!

"It's not that I don't trust you," Ryou uttered quietly, "but the things that I could and should and will probably eventually tell you are so complicated and strange and even downright occult may either scare you away, or you simply won't understand. Or believe me. It's a rather difficult situation to live in."

The light indicated them to cross and they did so. "Hey, my life wasn't sunshine and daisies either. There are things that I may never reveal because I feel they would complicate our friendship, but I admit there are things that I probably shouldn't tell anyone."

"Oh?" Ryou stopped in the middle of the street. "Like what?"

"The middle of the street is hardly a place to discuss my past. Let's continue walking." She looped her arm in his to get him going.

"I want to know…" Ryou said, interested and intrigued. "You seem like such a sweet, down to earth kind of girl. It makes me wonder what could possibly be so taboo that you can't tell anyone."

"If the whole school knew, I'd probably be ostracized. I'm already unique enough." She lifted her hair to reveal her multiple piercings in her ears. She gestured to her socks, her out-of-dress-code undershirt. "I don't exactly follow social norms."

He grabbed a lock of his hair. "Neither do I, but unfortunately for me, this is natural."

She smirked. "I'm surprised they didn't make you cut it."

His face froze again, like that of when remembering a haunting memory. "They did," was all he said.

"But your hair is still here…"

"And that's where my past comes in," Ryou uttered darkly. "I think I should just go home."

_"What?! But the fun was just starting!"_

"But Ryou…!" Azrael called as he turned away. "We were getting along so well!"

"I'll see you tomorrow, Az-chan!" And Ryou disappeared into the afternoon crowd.

Azrael kicked the ground in annoyance. "God damn it."

Azrael walked through her door, incredibly mad that Ryou ditched her when they were getting along so well. But she figured that perhaps any relationship they were starting needed to go slow. Perhaps Ryou's past was so traumatic for him that it wouldn't be appropriate for her to find out about any messy details so soon. For now, she would just store the fact that there was something in his past that upset him.

Her mother, a raving neuropath now that the twins and father were dead, stood at the kitchen counter, chopping potatoes. It was what she did all day. By six o'clock, her mother would tire of the activity and begin making potato bread, or soup, or whatever else a potato could be made into. It was up to Azrael to cook anything else that wasn't a starch.

Azrael stood by the door and watched as her mother chopped the potatoes so skillfully yet without a real thought in her head. It was as if the woman was on auto-pilot and was not even aware she had a near grown daughter who still needed maternal guidance. It did not matter to Azrael. She was better off raising herself, seducing sexy white-haired boys, and attempting to understand teenage billionaires. Azrael was highly intelligent and could manage herself.

She walked past her kitchen, knowing her mother would never notice her. She skipped up the stairs deftly, entered her room, and threw her book bag to the floor. Her homework could easily be completed in less than an hour, so she decided to surf the web and maybe look up Bakura Ryou's past.

You can find anything on the internet.

Azrael typed in her beloved's name in her favorite search engine. His name didn't pop up for any chat room or social network sites, but as she scrolled down, she did find a website for the local news and clicked on it. It caught her eye, because it had his full name, his age at the time, and mentioned some sort of "occult" activity. And didn't he say that there was something occult about him?

She read the article. She practically ate it, absorbing the words as if they were vital nutrients. Apparently, her little crush had been to several different schools, and had to leave all of them because when people interacted with him, they ended up in a coma the next day. It was flat out bizarre, worrisome, and so sexy. He really was a danger.

The article mentioned how the boy had to live on his own, though he wasn't charged with the people's mysterious comas, even though most saw him as a cause. Some students were quoted as calling him "cursed."

It made her sad though, reading this article. Clearly people wanted to befriend him. Who wouldn't? He was utterly adorable and very cute. But whatever aura, energy, or entity surrounded him had caused him much pain. So much that he was forced to be alone and not have many friends. He did hang around Yuugi and his friends a lot, but it seemed they knew what was going on, and therefore played along with Ryou. They knew something she didn't.

At least they accepted him though. They weren't completely indecent, even if they ignored him when he said something mildly strange. But Azrael reasoned that they were just normal, sane, ignorant people.

She shrugged it off and worked on her homework. She couldn't get Ryou's predicament off her mind, but that was understandable. She was lusting after him after all. She wanted to try and contact him, but she didn't find any contact information on him. He didn't have an email she could find, she was sure he didn't have a cell phone, but… He did have his own apartment. She could probably see if he had a landline.

Her room had a landline too; one she installed herself because her mother was completely incompetent. Azrael dialed information and asked the official if she had any contacts with the name Bakura Ryou. There was only one, and he had a number. Azrael got the number and decided she'd call.

Hopefully, he wouldn't mind.

Azrael entered the numbers on the phone and listened to the ring. She hoped it would go through and he'd answer. She hoped he wouldn't mind that she found his number. She hoped he wouldn't think she was stalking him. He was so kind and, while her reasons for liking him were downright lecherous, she started growing concerned for him. Maybe she was developing a mommy complex or something. It was possible.

The ringing stopped and his tentative voice answered the call. "_Moshi moshi, Bakura Ryou desu_."

"Oh Ryou-kun, this is Az-chan! I hope you don't mind that I called!"

She could practically feel his smile through the receiver. "_It's actually ok. I'm glad you called."_

"Good, because I was thinking about our conversation today. I know that there are things that are hurting you, and I know I seemed a little pushy, but I want to let you know that, though we barely know each other, I care. I really do. If you ever need a friend to talk to about anything, please let me know. I'm sorry for my earlier behavior."

He was quiet for a little while, but finally answered with, "Thank you, Az-chan. That really means the world to me."

_It better, _she thought to herself. _Because I really want you to fuck me, and I can't have this whole internal drama you've got going on. You need to let this all out._

"I'm glad," was her only response. But she didn't want the conversation to die. "Have you worked on the homework yet?"

_"Oh yes I have! I'm almost done with most of it actually."_

"That's awesome! I finished mine, but I was hoping that maybe we could go over the answers to some of it? I'd like to double check."

He affirmed, and they spent the rest of the evening going over homework, and she even helped him with the rest of his Japanese, of all the things. They talked about what they ate for dinner, though she embellished because all she had eaten was a microwavable burrito, but she didn't want to let the cat out of the bag when it came to her home life. He actually had a really intricate dinner; a meat pie with some chowder and some garlic toast. It seemed like a lot for a single male, but it seemed Ryou had a big appetite. She hoped it wasn't the only thing he found appetizing.

Somehow the talk of food led to their family, and while Azrael was reluctant to tell him, she let it out. He listened as she tried not to get too upset over her various family members' deaths. While Azrael wasn't particularly attached to her family, their deaths were heartbreaking and weren't easy to talk about. When she finished, Ryou started in on his own family.

_"I have a mother and father. My father travels a lot because of his job as a historian, so he brings back random trinkets for us. My mother stays at home. She hasn't left the house since my sister passed on."_

Azrael felt genuinely sorry. She wasn't the only one who lost a sibling. "What happened to her?"

_"She was hit by a car. She actually would have lived, but because it was raining and she had a weak immune system, she caught pneumonia and that killed her."_ He was silent after that. His sister seemed dear to him.

"I'm sorry about that. I really am. It's hard losing a sibling. Especially like that."

_"Yeah… I was very close to her. I still am…"_

Azrael found this to be quite strange, even by her standards. "How so…?"

_"It may sound insane, but I believe my sister watches over me, so I actually write her letters. Simple things like what happened today, or what things I'm interested in. I guess it's like a diary, only I'm addressing my sister. It keeps me calm and lets her memory live on for me."_

Azrael, who normally wasn't touched by such things, who didn't like such fluffy things, such sweet innocence, was genuinely touched. "That's actually really sweet… You're very kind, Ryou-kun."

He chuckled quietly. _"You don't mean that."_

Azrael became adamant. "I do! You're so nice to me, and it was only my first day today! And now you tell me this about your sister… I really admire you."

There was a pause. She hoped he wasn't offended or frightened.

_"I'm flattered. I really am. Not many people say that to me, even my friends…"_

"Well, I'm your friend too now, so at least one of us is saying it. I think you're great."

_"Thank you. I know we've just met today, but I'm growing rather fond of you, and I do hope our friendship progresses. I quite enjoy your company."_

It sounded so formal to her, and it was so sweet and frank, that Azrael was half tempted to say, "It can progress even further. We could fuck right now and everything would be better." But that was hardly polite, far too bold, and that wasn't how you got boys to have sex with you. At least, not the nice ones.

She giggled. "You're awesome, Ryou-kun." She checked her clock. It was almost nine pm. "I better let you go. I need to go to bed soon."

_"Oh, I'm sorry to keep you up! We best end this now!"_

She laughed, really laughed. "I'm not offended! I love long conversations actually." An overstatement really, since she didn't have many friends in her entire life, but he didn't need to know that. "Don't be upset. You go to bed, and I'll talk to you tomorrow."

_"Alright, Az-chan. Oyasumi nasai!"_

"_Oyasumi_!" She hung up.

She lay on her back and kicked her feet in the air. She was so excited. Her first day back in public school, and she was sure she was on the right track to having not only a boyfriend, but one that could give her the greatest high.

The next morning, Azrael woke up for school ungodly early. Her mother was still asleep, muttering about the Bolshevik revolution. She grabbed an apple from the refrigerator, deciding it would be sufficient for breakfast, and left for school.

She walked her usual path, not seeing anyone she knew. It wasn't surprising, since she left earlier too. She arrived at the campus, so unassuming in the pale light and entered the school. She took off her shoes at her shoe locker, putting on the indoor shoes, and walked up the stairs to her classroom.

She knew the teacher wouldn't be there, and neither would any student but to her delightful surprise, Kaiba Seto was there, typing away at a laptop. There was a small stack of notebooks to his left. From her spot at the entrance, she could tell they were his school notebooks. They were all a different color. It seemed he was hyper organized.

Deciding it would be nice of her, she greeted him with, "_Ohayou gozaimasu, _Kaiba-san."

He didn't respond, not even with a small grunt. Azrael, who liked stirring up trouble, knew this was unacceptable. Most would have just lived on with their lives, but not her. No. He needed to acknowledge her.

"Well aren't you an asshole."

He looked up. "Are you talking to me?"

She nodded. "I told you good morning. You could have at least grunted in response."

"Why should I respond? I don't need you to tell me to have a good morning. As long as I'm president of Kaiba Corp, every morning is a good morning."

She looked at him with narrowed eyes, a look that was as sarcastic as it was cold. "That's not the point. I acknowledged you, and in return I expect you to acknowledge me."

"Oh, so you have some sort of diva complex, is it? Well, diva, I'm acknowledging you now."

She shrugged her shoulders. "This was a bigger response than I expected honestly, and all I had to do was insult you."

"Calling me an asshole isn't an insult to me. I know I'm an asshole, and I don't need anyone reminding me."

She gave him that look again. "Surely it's not enjoyable being an asshole? Why would anyone want to be that way? It doesn't win you friends."

"Who needs friends?"

She raised her eyebrow. "I think you do."

"Not in the slightest." He smirked. He was enjoying himself.

_Doesn't need friends my ass. He just needs someone to berate. That's the kind of friend he needs: a crony._

"Well, maybe you don't need friends. Have fun swimming in your money all by yourself." She sat in her desk and proceeded to pull out a book. It was _Thus Spoke Zarathustra _by Friedrich Nietzsche, in the English text.

"I see you like classical literature," was the statement emitted by Kaiba Seto.

"I thought you didn't need friends, Kaiba-san."

He didn't respond.

"I jest. Yes, I do. This is the second time I've read this." She looked over at him. He stopped typing and was looking at her through the corner of his eye. "You can look at me, you know."

He turned his head. "Not that it's any of your business, but that's my favorite book."

She smiled. "It's not my all-time favorite, but it's definitely in my top three."

He twitched his eyebrows, as if that were response enough. "I've read it in its original German text."

She nodded, interested and a bit jealous. She knew English and Japanese, and was trying to learn Gaelic of all things, but she had yet to try and learn German, or any other language. "I'm impressed, Kaiba-san," she replied. "I wouldn't expect less from you though."

He twitched his eyebrows again. "You must know English fluently. I wouldn't expect less from you."

She gave him an odd look. "What does that supposed to mean?"

He smirked, enjoying his game. "You can't fool me. I don't know much about you, but I can tell you're not just some exchange student. You're far too intelligent for that."

She shrugged. "I could be from some private academy for all you know."

"No… You know too much for that. And if you were from some academy, I highly doubt you'd drop out of that to come here, the school for the illiterate."

"If you think so lowly of this school, why did you come here?"

When his eyes turned to hers, she felt the strangest chill. His eyes were so cold, so blue, and so steely. Those eyes had seen murder, had committed murder, and weren't afraid to admit it.

"You and I are a lot alike, I can tell. I'll share my story if you share yours."

Azrael looked at him as if he were speaking so calmly to her in German. "That's classified information."

"As is mine."

She mirrored his smirk. "You're right, Kaiba-san. We _are_ a lot alike."

He turned back to his work. "Whatever the case, I think this school year is going to be…mildly entertaining from now on."

She nodded and went to her book. They both sat in silence, content with their own agendas, and happy knowing there was one other person who understood their pain.


	4. Chapter 4

**I can't believe I still get reviews for this... Thank you guys so much for the reviews. I appreciate it so much. I still plan on continuing this, but due to work and school circumstances, and the fact that my internet just never works, updates will be very few and far in between. But they should be worth it. :)**

**I have another story I need to update too, and a few I'd like to actually publish soon. Expect to see some more from me in the next week or so. Maybe. Who knows?**

**Also, I think this chapter is a little short for my liking, but this was a good stopping point.**

Chapter 4: Friends in Unlikely Places

The school week went uneventfully by, though Azrael did notice Kaiba change his demeanor around her. He acknowledged her every morning, before anyone else was in the classroom. He would either be typing away at his laptop or reading a book, but that twitch from his eyebrows whenever she entered the room she knew was for her. She usually nodded in response, or greeted with a very sardonic good morning. Neither one was much of a morning person, though Kaiba wasn't an any-time-of-the-day person. Azrael was just intrigued that he seemed willing to befriend her, though she knew he was simply trying to figure her out. She could tell that he enjoyed a challenge, and figuring out the new student who was much more than she let on seemed to be quite the challenge for him. She let him play that game while she passed notes to Ryou and daydreamed about making love to him.

On Saturday, the one half day of school, Ryou approached Azrael when school let out. "Az-chan," he started, quiet nervousness not-so-hidden in his polite tone, "would you care to go out for some ice cream?"

Azrael, packing away her belongings, wasn't so flabbergasted by this approach, though she wasn't completely unsurprised. She knew Ryou would approach her sooner or later, and she was ever so happy that it was sooner.

"Oh my, I'd love to, Ryou-kun!" she exclaimed. She hurriedly finished packing, slipped on her backpack, and followed his lead. She knew it would sound almost desperate and make her motives seem obvious, but she had to ask, "Is anyone else coming along?"

Ryou nodded. "Yuugi and Jounouchi will be joining us. Honda can't make it, and Anzu has a job I hear." Azrael thought that was interesting. Jobs weren't permitted at Domino High, but maybe Anzu had a special circumstance. It was interesting enough.

"Oh, okay," she said, and continued to follow him. They both parted for a span of a few moments as they went to their own shoe lockers and traded their indoor shoes for their normal shoes. Ryou wore normal trainers, but Azrael opted for canvas sneakers that day instead of those scuffed dress shoes she was so fond of.

She followed him out of the school, where they met Jounouchi and Yuugi. The group of four all walked side by side, Azrael next to Ryou who was next to Yuugi who was next to Jounouchi. They all talked about the day's events, Jounouchi saying it was good for it to be so warm in autumn, something unusual as far as Japanese weather was concerned. Yuugi was glad he did well on his math exam, which Jounouchi lamented about. Ryou laughed and suggested Jounouchi be tutored or actually study. Azrael tried not to roll her eyes: she made a perfect score. Jounouchi then spotted a pretty girl about their age but in a different uniform. Hers was very neat, pristine almost, and was different than a normal school uniform. The cut was very fit and tailored almost perfectly to her body. It was crisp and looked quite expensive, the shoulders a navy blue in a triangular shape and the bodice itself was black. Her skirt fit much like a pencil skirt and was black as well and stopped mid thigh. It was apparent she was from a private academy, probably an all girls' school. Azrael admitted to herself that the girl's natural appearance, with her umber hair and brown eyes and porcelain skin, was beautiful. Her legs had that cute school girl quality to them: knock kneed and thin, with the calves hidden by loose socks. Her torso was slim too and her breasts, while not altogether flat, weren't embarrassingly huge or show stopping. Jounouchi catcalled to her and the girl scowled. She rolled her eyes and walked away with her gaggle of gal pals. Jounouchi watched her walk away, still wolf whistling, staring at her butt, the outline of which perfectly shown in that tight skirt.

"Man," Jounouchi sighed as he still watched that perfect example of "DAT ASS" sashay away, "what I wouldn't give to reach my hand under that skirt and spank that ass."

Ryou blushed and Azrael just rolled her eyes and tried to ignore Jounouchi's blatant perversion. Yuugi tried to seem like he wasn't into stuff like that, but the way he blushed and fixed a stray bang told Azrael that he thought similarly of Anzu. This past week was filled with little hints of his admiration for her. It was almost painfully obvious.

"If I wasn't such a lowlife, I'd have a girl like that," bragged Jounouchi. "And we'd be banging every night. She wouldn't be able to leave my house with limping."

Yuugi kept on blushing, and Azrael wanted to choke him and say, "JUST ASK ANZU OUT ALREADY!" but Ryou retorted with, "Jounouchi, you'd have to lose your virginity first before you could give a woman treatment like that."

Azrael guffawed and almost fell to the ground laughing, and Jounouchi swore under his breath and muttered he'd get Ryou back for that one. Yuugi by then finally seemed to have a normal blood pressure again and laughed along with everyone else. They approached their destination: a small ice cream stand.

Jounouchi ordered first, triple scoops of chocolate chip, Yuugi got vanilla, Azrael got strawberry, but Ryou had triple scoops of chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry with sliced bananas on top. Even Jounouchi was surprised at Ryou's huge order. They all sat at a bench near a park and began eating.

"Bakura, I know you bring a lot of food to school for lunch, but are you sure there isn't something wrong with you?" questioned Jounouchi as he watched Ryou tuck in to his dessert. Ryou blushed.

"Hey, there isn't wrong with a man who has a healthy appetite," remarked Azrael, and she winked at Ryou. He blushed even more, but he seemed gratified by her response. If they weren't with friends in public, Azrael would have dropped her panties and said, "Give it to me now" at the look he gave her. The smile alone made her loins pull in desire.

Jounouchi shrugged and ravaged his piece. There was more on his face and shirt than in his stomach by the time he was through. Yuugi ate slowly and carefully, and not a drop spilt on his person. Ryou nibbled gently on the bananas, and Azrael watched as his lips plucked a piece of the sliced fruit and gently sucked it into his mouth. She imagined the way he treated those slices would be how he would treat her breasts, primly sucking on the nipples, dabbing at them with his tongue. His lips would caress her with gentle kisses before opening wider to viciously ravage her lady lumps. His hand would sneak up and massage roughly, the nails leaving scratches. His teeth would gnaw at the tender tissue and bruise the skin. How she would scream and beg for more before he would finally mosey his way down and attack her-

"Az-chan, there's a strawberry in your lap."

Azrael snapped out of her wet daydream and looked down at her lap to see a sodden strawberry slice in the pleat of her skirt. She flicked it off. It left a small pink stain, but it wasn't anything she couldn't wash off. She crossed her legs self-consciously, all too aware of the other wet stain between her legs.

When they had all finished, it was time to part ways. Jounouchi followed Yuugi back to his house, apparently keen on spending the night. Azrael and Ryou, like they did for the past week, walked together side by side.

"Is something on your mind Az-chan?" Ryou asked when he was sure Yuugi and Jounouchi were out of earshot. She shook her head.

"I'm fine, Ryou! I was just thinking how ill-mannered Jounouchi can be." She waved his remark aside, not wanting him to pry into her head. If he pursued her thoughts, she would be like an open book for him, and let him turn the pages all he wanted.

He was about to do just like she thought when Kaiba Seto, the god of inconvenience, swept in flawlessly. "How cute the pair of you is. I thought our dear school prohibited dating."

Azrael and Ryou abruptly turned around, astonished that Kaiba Seto was anywhere near them. He lived on the opposite side of town.

"Oh… How nice to see you Kaiba-san!" Ryou uttered, his voice raising an octave out of politeness. Azrael was a little shaken at the sudden appearance of someone who was practically her friend yet seemed so aloof.

Kaiba scoffed and flicked his fringe out of his eyesight with a shake of his head. His eyebrows twitched at Azrael. He seemed pleased to see her.

"Before you ask why I am here, let me just say that I have a little business dispute with an old friend. I am by no means stalking you two."

Obviously, that was quite his intent, but Ryou seemed convinced of his alibi. Azrael happened to read right through it.

"In any case, I believe our dear friend Bakura should be going home. Your apartment complex is just around the corner." Kaiba regarded Ryou coldly, maliciously, and in his disregard for Ryou's feelings he seemed quite gleeful.

"Oh, but I…" Ryou stuttered, torn between not offending Kaiba, wanting to please Azrael, and indicating that yes his apartment complex was just around the corner.

"There is no need to walk Azrael home. I've got it covered." Kaiba deliberately got between them and led Azrael away. She pulled out of his grasp.

"Kaiba-san, it's ok. Ryou-kun can walk me home. We do this all the time."

She glared at him, trying to see through this strange ruse. It was so blunt, yet something about it was suspicious. How did Kaiba know where Ryou lived? Why did he want to take Azrael home instead? What exactly was his intention?

In that moment, Azrael actually feared what was going on behind those cerulean eyes. Kaiba could have any agenda planned. He could be genuinely concerned for her safety, perhaps knowing Ryou's past and not wanting Azrael to be a next victim. He could be a psychopath and want to get her alone and rape her. Perhaps that was a bit farfetched, but anything could happen. Kaiba was capable of anything and everything.

"Az-chan, go with Kaiba-san. I'll see you later." Ryou sniffed and scampered away. He sounded so upset. Azrael knew he was verging on crying. She wanted to cry too.

When Ryou's figure disappeared around the corner, she lashed out at Kaiba. She punched him for all he was worth, but he was stoic as ever. Either she was horribly weak, or he was incredibly resistant.

When she was spent, he removed her fists from his school jacket, now wrinkled, and darkly warned, "It's best to stay away from him."

She exclaimed, "WHO ARE YOU TO TELL ME THAT?"

He sighed, in annoyance or in concern she wasn't sure in her flustered state. "I'm sure you know there's something off about him," he chided.

"Yeah, I did the research. People think he's cursed," she shot back, "but he's fine now! He has friends that are still around! No one's gone in a coma yet!"

"Did he ever tell you why his hair is so long?" Kaiba's voice was icy. Azrael felt it chill her to the core.

"…he never got a chance," she admitted. "He mentioned it, but he wouldn't tell me why."

"A coach from our school told him to cut it and the next day the man was found at the school, splayed on the ground, in a coma."

Azrael shuddered. She was terrified by Kaiba's short tale, and yet excited that the rumor of Ryou being cursed was (possibly) true.

"So…the occult thing…"

"It has yet to be proven that it's truly occult," Kaiba quipped, "but I think it's something else. Believing in stupid things like the occult and ghosts and curses is entirely idiotic. It's the sign of losing one's mind. Half the world is insane with religious fervor and science is laughed at and scolded for making discoveries. Doing God's work. Whatever." He tossed his fringe aside again. "The coach is ok now, but only after Mutou Yuugi got involved."

"Yuugi…?" Azrael inquired.

"From what I've heard, Yuugi and his pack of friends played a tabletop role-playing game and beat Bakura." Kaiba began walking in the direction of Azrael's house. She was kind of sickened that he knew where to go. "The day after, everyone who was in a coma woke up."

"Oh, they did…?" Azrael didn't read that much. It must have been the related story after the original one she read.

Kaiba nodded. "But of course, I only know that from hearsay. I wasn't around when it happened."

_Then why the hell do you know so much about it? _Azrael waspishly thought to herself. "What happened to you?" she asked instead.

"I was in a coma."

She laughed. She couldn't help it. Here Kaiba was, telling her to avoid Ryou, who apparently induced comas, a victim as well!

"Ah, I see why you're so keen on me staying away. He _magicked_ you too!" She chuckled at the joke.

Kaiba growled in annoyance. "My coma wasn't induced by some white haired kid with no social skills. It happened after a duel with Yuugi."

There Yuugi was again. He seemed to be a key in this chain of events. "Yuugi?! Why him?!"

"…it doesn't matter now. We're here." Kaiba stopped before her doorstep. He turned to her, waiting for her to say something.

She looked at him, and then at her door, knowing what lay behind it. Kaiba seemed expectant of her to invite him in or thank him at least. "I know under some circumstances I should invite you in, but I'd rather not." Azrael admitted sheepishly. "It's not anything against you, and I thank you for your concern, but I don't think we know each other well enough for you to see just how exactly I live in my house. And what you've told me has me really confused and befuddled and I don't like it and I just want to be alone." She looked up at him. His expression was quite plain. "You ok?"

"I have no intention of seeing the inside of your house, but thanks for the offer anyway," Kaiba rudely said. "Think about everything I told you. Contact me if you need help figuring something out, but until then, have a nice night." It didn't sound like he meant any of it, more like he was saying it because it was a custom.

But Azrael didn't live by social norms, and it was clear Kaiba didn't either.


	5. Chapter 5

**Whoa wait update? Yeah I guess. Sorry if this is short, but me updating at all is kind of a miracle. But I do want to start writing more often. I just don't know what.**

Chapter 5: I Love You

Four days went by without Ryou and Azrael having meaningful contact. They saw each other at school, sure, but any form of communication was strictly formal and polite. Ryou didn't join Azrael at the art club meeting. Ryou wouldn't pass notes. He wouldn't help her with homework. He took a different path home (even though that was against the rules!) He did everything to avoid Azrael and she was getting pretty upset about it. She was beyond upset; she was incredibly and indubitably angry.

Though Azrael loved pain, this kind of pain, this hurt in her heart, was too much to bear. She knew it was probably "love". It was something. It was something she couldn't quite place because she had never felt it before.

On Wednesday, she confronted Kaiba after school. He was on his way out when she grabbed him by the arm and yanked him to her. She didn't care if some student stopped to gawk. She was a woman on a mission.

"How dare you say those things to Ryou!" she yelled, a little too loudly, but the opinion of her peers was meaningless to her.

"He and I were fast friends. He was so nice to me. He was the one person who I actually cared about! And then you had to say those horrible things! What's wrong with you?!" Frustrated tears creeped at her eyes, but she blinked them away. She felt her face flush with fresh anger.

Kaiba took his arm back and glared at Azrael. His stare, so void of emotion, should have intimidated her, frozen her in her tracks, but it only fueled her burning anger.

"Before you go pointing fingers, perhaps you should assess what is wrong with yourself." He turned away from her, as if that ended the confrontation, but Azrael, whose thoughts were no longer cohesive, took the opportunity to kick Kaiba in the rear. He stumbled, surprised at the bold contact, and turned around, furious.

"How dare _you_, Onikso! Look at you! Look at your life!" He waved his hand as if assessing her. "You go around and pretend that nothing is wrong with you, that you're perfectly normal, when you befriend a naïve little _boy_ in hopes to get something out of him! Maybe your precious '_Ryou'_ finally saw through you! Maybe he realized that you're just after him and he's better off without you! You're a psycho and you know it!"

Azrael was bewildered at his wild accusations. Ryou thought no such thing. It was Kaiba who insulted Ryou, who made him sound like a freak, which caused the boy to run away from her, the one person he actually liked. It was Kaiba who started everything. Jounouchi had told her. Yuugi had denied it, but everyone else agreed. Kaiba started problems. He _was_ a problem. His genius, his brilliant mind, was one to probe, and she could see right through him in this moment. He was someone afraid to make friends, someone who deemed friendship as weak hearts clustering together in vain hope. He was cruel because that was easy. He was always alone and therefore wanted everyone else to share his pain. How wonderfully contradictory.

"You know," she breathed out, her energy being sapped by her fury, "I'm not the one afraid of making friends. I'm not the one pushing others away. I'm not the one trying to ruin people's lives. I know all about you. I've ascertained enough. You, simply put, are a dick. You're mean to others because that's what gets you attention. You make efforts for the things you like, but you'll never stick your neck out for someone else. You're an asshole." Her eyes glowed with maniacal hatred, and she bore her teeth. "What the hell? And I thought you and I were going to be friends…"

He rolled his eyes at her. "Friends? With you? Please. I have better things to do than be friends with someone who belongs in a nut house." He smirked at her sudden start. "Touched a nerve did I? Being a billionaire certainly has its advantages…"

She didn't say anything. She didn't want anyone to overhear her one big secret. She took a step back, hoping to escape. "Fine. You know all about me. And I can only hope to get as much dirt on you. Live your life Kaiba, but for the love of humanity, please just leave mine alone."

He sneered. "Oh no. It's too late now. You're stuck with me." He walked away with no further comment. It was that moment that Azrael realized that Kaiba was jealous. He was jealous of what she wanted Ryou for. He wanted to bed Azrael, and then keep her forever.

Or he was just a sadistic CEO who had nothing better to do than ruin people's lives. She liked that theory better.

Azrael lay amidst scattered papers on her floor. The papers were notes from school, only taken to keep up a pretense. Her Japanese and English notes were riddled with love poems and short stories of her and Ryou, indications that she really didn't pay attention. Her math notes had rude little drawings of her and Ryou in compromising positions and she only hoped no one would ever find them.

It was Sunday now, and Azrael had been in this position since she got out of school on Saturday. She lay in a catatonic state, never moving, rarely blinking, hardly sleeping, practically dead. She watched flurries of dust waver in the sunlight lazily beaming through her window. It was the afternoon and she was sure she wouldn't have the strength to go to school tomorrow.

What was the point when one's whole _raison d'etre_ avoided her at every chance he could? What was the point when one's most loathed being annoyed her every chance he could? Azrael didn't see the point in anything.

She stirred when her landline rang. It never rang. No one called because there was…no one. Except Ryou.

Azrael, full of hope, answered the phone.

"_Moshi moshi, Azrael desu_," she chirped, almost forcefully happy.

"_Az-chan?"_ came the voice of Bakura Ryou. "_Can we talk?"_

Her heart had done a salsa at hearing his voice. She wanted to scream out in happiness, but she knew she needed to be calm. He sounded upset.

"Of course, Ryou-kun."

"_I thought about what Kaiba-san said,_" he brought forth, summoning up his courage. _"And I think he's right about me being dangerous."_

She wanted to cry so hard. Every hope fell apart.

"But Ryou-kun…!"

"_However,"_ he continued, _"I still want…to be with you."_

Suddenly that hope came back and filled her heart with such ecstasy.

"_Perhaps I am dangerous, Az-chan, but I don't want to be alone forever. I think the only way to keep the bad stuff from happening is to open my heart and let a friend in."_

Oh how she wanted to roll on the floor and giggle in glee.

"_I think it's silly to stop being friends. And, well…"_ He faltered.

"Yes, Ryou-kun?"

"_I…"_ He stammered, his heart beating wildly, fervently, frightened.

"_Az-chan, I love you."_

Every molecule was on fire. Every nerve was on edge. Her heart beat erratically in her chest and burning tears climbed through her lashes, dripping down her face and into her hair. She was still rolling on the floor when he spoke again.

"_Az-chan, are you still there?"_

She snapped to attention and shook her head. "Of course, my dear! I'm just in shock is all."

_Aww, don't be, Az-chan! It's not unusual to be loved."_

But to her, it was. While she assumed her parents dropping her off at the asylum was their way of hoping she'd get better, Azrael had never known actual affection. It was foreign to her really. Physical displays of affection were frowned upon in the asylum, actually prohibited, and well, she did spend most of her time there.

She could count the number of times she was hugged on one hand.

"Well, I guess you're right, Ryou-kun, it's just unusual for me." She laughed nervously. "I've never really had a friend before. I've had close acquaintances, but never anyone I really connected with. And I definitely have never had someone confess their love for me. It's a strange feeling, I guess."

"_Oh dear,"_ was all he could say.

"Oh but this isn't me rejecting your feelings!" She quickly amended. "I… I think I love you too."

"_Oh…?"_

"Again, feelings like this are foreign, but…" She sighed and felt it shake. "You're always on my mind. I think about you day and night. Actually, this whole weekend I've spent lying on my floor, thinking of you, because I was afraid you hated me. I was afraid Kaiba (He gasped when she dropped the honorific) scared you away and I was just… dead inside."

There was a silence, for who could really respond to their crush's admission of feeling dead inside when the other was being evasive?

"Are you still there?" Azrael asked, when the silence seemed to ring through her ears.

"_Yes, I… I just don't know what to say."_

"I know! I am so creepy. 'Dead inside'? Wow, Azrael, what is your problem?"

He laughed. _"You're not…creepy. Different, unique. Not creepy." _They laughed together at that. _"And anyway, how is creepy a bad thing?"_

"Well, maybe it isn't…" She admitted. "Some people I guess wouldn't like it."

"_Well forget them! You shouldn't be anything less than yourself! And I definitely like your self!"_

"Oh, thank you Ryou-kun…" She blushed, even though he wasn't there to make her feel this way. He was on the phone, miles away.

"_But I digress. Az-chan, I have something to ask of you."_

"Of course!" _This is it… He is finally going to ask me out. We're going to do super cute things and have crazy wild sex and it's gonna get SOOOOOO KINKY._

"_Would you like to come over and do homework with me?"_

What a boner killer.

_Eh… It's a start._

"I would love to, Ryou-kun! What's your address?"

He gave her detailed directions to his home, which wasn't too far away. Azrael knew that, even if this wasn't an official date, she still needed to look somewhat cute. Her wrinkled and stinky school uniform wasn't exactly a boner inducer. Well, for some it could be.

She looked through her wardrobe and managed to find the laciest underwear she could find, black lace on the legs and waistband, and black and pink zebra stripes on the garment itself. It looked like something Hannah Montana would endorse, but it was cute enough. She found a bra with lace on the cups and waistband as well. As for something to actually wear (because she doubted he was ready to see her panties fly across the room), she managed to find a cute tyrian purple sweater dress, and found some hosiery that showed enough leg to be sexy. Paired with beige boots, and a black belt, she felt Ryou would cream instantly at how attractive she was.

Well, sweaters aren't really sexy, but she filled hers out nicely and that was something.

She took a quick shower, got dressed, and gathered her very scattered school things. With her backpack snug on her back, drawing emphasis to the breasts that were being pushed up towards heaven, and hitching up the dress to show a cheeky thigh, Azrael was ready to "do homework."

She was hoping they could do their own homework…with their naked bodies.


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello friends! From the depths comes an update! I hope you all enjoy, and my hiatus may not be officially over, but I am really trying to update more often. I have another chapter of this nearing completion so expect that soon. And I will do my best to update any other stories that need that.**

Chapter 6: Let's Get Physical

Azrael, on her way to Ryou's apartment, felt very torn. On the one hand, she wanted to run all the way to his place, jump his bones then and there, smoke a cigarette, and fuck him again. On the other, she knew that was being awfully forward, and didn't want to seem too hasty. Taking her time would make her seem less desperate, but that could cut how much time they spent together.

And then she remembered he lived alone. No parents to enforce her leaving. No one to interfere with their "physics and chemistry". She could take advantage of him if she wanted, but even Azrael had standards of decency. Rape was a hideous crime.

She was almost there now, the apartments looming in the distance. She felt her inner thighs quiver with excitement, even though she knew that more than likely they would really do homework. Maybe drink tea and have dinner together, but that was it. She doubted he'd let her spend the night. He was too formal otherwise.

It didn't really matter what tonight's events entailed. She only wanted to be with him. And this was a good start to any potential relationship between each other.

She wasn't concerned with his rejection of her advances. Obviously, he liked her. Loved her. He confessed it. All there was to do now was to wait when the time was right. Maybe that time was tonight. Maybe it was in the morning. Maybe it was two weeks from now. She didn't know. Teenagers went wild when it came to hormones.

She was going up the stairs towards the top floor, when a cold breeze rushed up her spine. For some reason, she felt very anxious. She wasn't too sure why. She didn't fear Ryou. She knew he wouldn't hurt her, and if he wanted to do so, well, it would have been welcomed. She enjoyed pain after all.

But there was something off about him. Kaiba _was_ right. He was…odd. There was an occult air about him. But she shook those thoughts away. She was going to have a boyfriend to fuck and cuddle and fuck some more soon and she didn't care about whether or not he was cursed.

She knocked on his door, heard him gasp, some ruffling of papers, and finally he opened the door.

"Hello Az-chan," he greeted her with a warm smile. "A bit brisk tonight isn't it? Come in, come in!" She felt his nervous energy. Maybe he was excited about any prospects between them too. Obviously, he never really had a girlfriend before, if those rumors were true.

She stepped in, removed her boots, and stood there taking in the apartment. It was somewhat colorless, with hints of a pale blue in the walls and carpet, and standard wooden furniture. It was rather roomy, with a nicely sized kitchen and living room, and it looked like it had multiple rooms, though one might have just been a broom closet.

On the coffee table in front of the sofa were a bunch of homework papers that were obviously placed there in haste. Maybe he didn't want to do homework after all…? Maybe that was a ruse…?

"Ummm, where should I put my stuff?" She asked quietly.

"You can place it by the sofa. That's where I usually do my homework." She nodded and placed her book bag on the sofa. She turned and looked at him.

"So…" She blushed.

"So…" He blushed as well.

They stood in silence, not really sure how to get about the topic of homework when the sexual tension could be cut through with a dull butter knife.

"_Aren't you going to ravish her?"_ asked the spirit in his head.

_No! I can't! Az-chan is so kind to me…_

"_But she wants it you silly boy! Look at the way she is dressed! Look at how her skirt is hiked up, how the tights show that luscious tan skin! How she stands, so demure, so pure, when she wants you to take her right now! She is obviously dressed up for you!"_

_That may be, but…_

"_I forget. You're a virgin. I'd help, but to be perfectly honest I want to watch you deal with this yourself. It will make a good show. Heheheheheh…"_

And the spirit hid once again, somewhere in the depths of Ryou's mind.

Ryou caught Azrael staring at him with a strange and curious look on her face, so he quickly stated, "I'm going to make some tea, and then we can start this homework!"

She nodded, still wary of him. _What the hell did I just see?_

_It was like… He was having a conversation with himself. Do I make him that nervous?_

Ryou set a kettle on the stove and grabbed some mugs and tea bags, peppermint tea of all the things, and got out some various sweeteners. "How do you like your tea, Az-chan?"

"Hot." She winked at him.

His face flushed again. "And… sweetener?" He gulped, small beads of sweat wetting his palms.

"Two sugars will be fine."

He nodded, placing two teaspoons of sugar in her mug. The kettle finally whistled and he poured tea into their mugs. He handed hers to her and she stirred it, watching him. She hopped up on the counter, the force of the jump hiking up that dress a little higher. Ryou knew there was probably less than an inch of fabric covering her…_panties_. She crossed her legs precociously, causing the dress to move more. He averted his gaze when he saw the line of her butt. She did have nice thighs though.

She sipped her tea and smiled. He stared long and hard at his tea, because her obvious sex appeal intimidated him. How could such a beautiful young woman possibly be interested in him? Was she teasing him for sport? Was it genuine? How could he find out?

"_You could kiss her, Ryou." _The spirit said maliciously. _"It's not hard. And while you're at it, stick your hand between her thighs and find out just how interested she is."_

_That…! That is so rude!_

"_But it gets the point across. She obviously wants it. She wouldn't tease you otherwise unless she was a sadist._

Ryou sighed.

"_But I don't get that air from her. Why don't you just go ahead and make her scream? I'd enjoy watching someone getting fucked."_

_Spirit!_

"_What?! You won't let me possess people anymore, or turn them into pawns for your games. You got rid of the gaming table after all! Do something to entertain me, or I'll be forced to entertain myself." _He flew away back into the fathoms of Ryou's consciousness.

_There it is again_, Azrael said to herself. _He just blanks out. Should I just say, "Hey babe, fuck me. Cuz that's all I really want"? No… What should I do?_

She set her mug down, and placed her hands behind her, puffing out her chest. She saw Ryou's pupils dilate when he noticed her ample bosom. She admitted to herself that it was mostly the padded push up she was wearing, but seeing him squirm was kind of adorable.

She wanted him to make her squirm.

"So… Homework?" She smirked.

Ryou stared at her breasts, marveled at how tight the material was around her chest, how it seemed to emphasize her curves. He could feel blood rushing downwards, but he snapped his attention back to her when he realized she was talking to him.

"Ehh… Homework?"

"Yes. You invited me over to help with homework." She smirked. "I mean, we don't have to if you don't want to…"

He gulped. The spirit was right. "What could we do instead?"

The homework was a ruse all along. He had most of it done, but he was hoping it would lure her over. He really just liked being around her. Why couldn't he just say that?

She shrugged. "Whatever you want."

"Whatever I want?"

She nodded.

"I…"

"_Oh for God's sake Ryou just KISS HER."_

Ryou felt his body moving on its own. The spirit was doing an incomplete possession. His mind was still his.

_Spirit, wait..!_

"_No! She is practically begging for it, you stupid boy! I am bored, she is bored, and you are bored. So let's quit being bored and FUCK ALREADY."_

Ryou felt his hands clutch Azrael's waist. She didn't move an inch or flinch. He felt his head lean towards hers, saw her eyes flutter closed as she puckered her lips and leaned in as well.

_I… I can do it, spirit._

The spirit let go.

Ryou's nose brushed hers gently, their lips tingled at the slightest touch. He went in, as did she, feeling each other's lips, warm and inviting, soft, sweet, and minty.

Azrael uncrossed her legs, allowing him to walk further so he could deepen the kiss. His hips were flush against her pelvis and she could feel the muscles tighten with anticipation, feel her body preparing for sexual fulfillment. She wrapped her arms around his neck, he hugged her into his chest, and gently pushed her onto the counter.

She was on her back, legs dangling off the counter as he massaged his lips against hers more fervently. It was mostly instinctual, but he knew he was making mistakes here and there, and amended them with things her body responded positively too. They opened their mouths and sucked on them for a while, the French kiss a little weird for them. He finally pulled back, realizing he was on top of his favorite classmate.

"I… I…"

"It's ok, Ryou-kun. You can keep going." She tightened her legs around his waist, grinding her hips against his. She felt it. It was there. He wanted her.

"But I…" He had never imagined being in this situation. Well, ok, there were times when he was in the bath or in his bed that he fantasized about her, touching himself, imagining her moans, until his desire came through and made a mess. Some nights the spirit would interrupt this alone time and Ryou would not be able to finish, for the spirit teased him of being a little boy who could only fap when the girl of his dreams continued egging him on. But he didn't think his fantasies would come true.

"Az-chan…"

"Yes," she responded, her voice thick and soft.

"I don't have protection."

She snorted. "Who _needs _protection, Ryou-kun…?" She saw he was serious. "You can just pull out when you're about to-"

"But what if I don't?! And there are still risks and… and… and…" At this point he knew he was making excuses. It was his first. Was he ready?

She sighed and unwrapped herself from him. "Look, we don't have to go all the way. We can have sex another way."

"How…?" The look of genuine confusion amused her.

She hopped off the counter, quickly unzipped his jeans and pulled his dick out. He gasped at the forwardness and hissed when she wrapped her hand around the base and licked the tip.

"This way…" Lick. "I…" Lick. "Won't get pregnant." Long lick up the underside of the shaft. "You a virgin?"

He gasped but nodded, gripping the edge of the counter tightly, knees shaking. It felt _so_ good.

"Good. I am too. No risks then." She opened her mouth in a wide O, placed her lips on the tip, and slid down till those lips touched the very bottom of the base. He wasn't huge, but he was big enough, and the tip reached past her uvula. She used a trick she saw on the internet so she wouldn't gag. It kind of worked, but anything was better than desperately choking on his cock. Then again, that could be fun.

She bobbed her head back and forth, sliding her tongue along the bottom. She pulled him out with a wet _pop!_ and caressed his balls with her lips. She delicately played with them, gave them a big, wet, lick, and opened her mouth wide again. She sucked on them, massaging them with her tongue, and she heard his breaths get heavier and heavier. She released them, jerked her hand on his dick a few times, and proceeded to suck it again.

She was in the middle of giving his tip the best action it had seen in a while when he piped up with, "Az-chan… Where… oh my… did you…ahhh…learn to do this?" He bent over her, gripping her shoulder tightly because the counter just didn't do it for him anymore. He opened his legs a little more and she managed to go deeper.

She took him out of her mouth, jerking him again, and stated, "I get bored a lot."

"Meaning..? Oh!" She jerked a little hard that time.

"Sorry. Still new to this." She sucked on just the tip, then went back to answering him. "I've seen porn, Ryou."

"But…ahhhh that's nice…isn't it not…ahhh good…very accurate?"

She shrugged. "I've done a fair amount of research on human sexuality," she answered with his dick in her mouth. It bobbed as she moved her jaw to form each word, turning even pinker than before, secreting fluid. He was going to come soon.

He nodded, face flushed, sticky with sweat. He leaned back, pushed his hips forward, and she went down deeper and deeper, hitting every sweet spot.

His breathing got faster and he started saying something incomprehensible and she went to town, sucking harder, faster, until she felt the sticky and milky substance flood down her throat. It was a bit bitter, a bit sweet, and she kept him in her mouth until she swallowed every last drip.

He was impossibly down her throat when his orgasm finished. She slid him out of her mouth and stayed kneeling. She couldn't look at the pale flesh in front of her. That would have been weird, even if it was just in her mouth.

Ryou slid down to the floor, his legs shaky and weak. His body was still pulsing, throbbing. The spirit cackled, but Ryou ignored him.

"Was it good?" Azrael asked when the silence was too much.

"It was…" His face was still facing the ceiling but he looked down at her, still breathing heavily. "…amazing."

"I'm glad." His pants were still opened, his white flesh still visible. She wasn't sure what to do now. She wanted him to give her that pleasure too, but naturally she wanted it rough.

They sat in silence for quite some time, Azrael trying to get the sour taste out of her mouth subtly and Ryou catching his breath. The room seemed colder now, with the body heat readily descending. Ryou was back to being flaccid again, but Azrael was still horribly horny.

She was about to get up and ask if he had mouthwash when his lips descended on her violently. He absolutely crushed her mouth, biting her lips erotically…viciously. This was a side she knew he was hiding.

She was definitely into this rough treatment of her mouth. She pressed her body against his and he moaned in ecstasy. He was hard again, his pants were still off, and she was about to reach down and give him a hand job when his right hand was between her thighs, massaging her through her underwear and tights. He could feel how wet she was.

Well, _he _could, but "Az-chan" didn't have to know the secret just yet.

Before she could give any form of consent, Ryou, or at least what looked like him, ripped her tights and panties off with much vigor. His head plunged between her legs and Azrael yelped in sheer delight when he bit her swollen lips. His teeth were rather rough to her clitoris and his tongue was anything but gentle, but this was Azrael, and the treatment was much appreciated.

"Oh my god, harder! Rougher! Ahhh, yes, bite me, ahhh yes please, Ryou-kun…"

The spirit of the Millennium Ring made no sound to acknowledge he heard her, but he was indeed rougher, harder, so he must have understood. Ryou, trapped in his own mind, winced as Azrael gasped when the spirit broke skin on her outer labia.

_You're hurting her!_

"_Can you not see how she is pleased, 'Ryou-kun'?" _The spirit chided. And indeed she was. A faint trickle dripped to the floor but Azrael made no sign of pain. In fact, the contact with his tongue, which would have made most people wince from the sharp yet delicate pain, made her back arch and toes curl. Ryou was astounded.

_She can't possibly…!_

"_Can she indeed! You picked a good one. Little Miss Azrael likes it rough. She's perfect for me… You… Us. Whatever." _The spirit let Ryou back in control. _"Your turn, Little Miss Ryou."_

Ryou was back in control and simply stood there on all fours, his head in between her thighs, his nose brushing her pussy. She smelled wonderful. Azrael started whimpering as she noticed the contact had stopped.

"Ryou-kun…? Why'd you stop…?" She was in the process of getting up, but Ryou, whose hand was taken over by the spirit, pushed her back down. He saw the confusion and pure lust in her eyes. She really did enjoy the rough treatment.

He knew he'd have to "man up," so to speak.

He placed his head gently back between her legs. He gave her a tentative lick. She sighed a little. He knew it wouldn't be enough.

_Spirit…_

"_Yes?"_

_Tell me what to do._

So Ryou, listening to the spirit, knew just how to administer pain and elicit wails of pleasure from Azrael.


	7. Chapter 7

**TW for attempted rape. I don't normally give spoilers, but I will if I know it's triggering. Enjoy otherwise! Also, I want to say I don't know what happened to me halfway through writing this, but I started writing as I speak and was channeling like my inner fangirl and I'll just say, the writer's voice definitely changes. Maybe I was doing it for humor. I don't know. I'm an idiot.**

Chapter 7: Hit Me, Baby, One More Time

Azrael awoke next to Ryou, in his bed, in just her panties. After last night's performance, they ate a light dinner and quickly went to sleep. She was surprised that he was willing to share a bed with her, but seeing that they both knew each other physically (at least with their mouths) he didn't really see any point in being formal. So she lay in bed with him all night. They explored their bodies some more, but nothing to the point of orgasm. Fingers simply get curious.

She watched as the pale form before her, curled on his side, facing her, breathed deeply even though his alarm was blaring. Good lord the boy could sleep!

She wanted to wake him up in the best way.

She gently wrapped her legs and arms around him, grinding her hips slowly but sensually against his. He stirred a little but stayed in deep slumber. She sighed and slipped away, turning off the alarm.

She turned back to him and noticed a small smirk. Perhaps he was awake.

A deep voice, one that didn't quite belong to Ryou, rumbled out, "You want to play the game this early in the morning?" Vicious brown eyes, not the kind ones Ryou had, snapped open.

Azrael would have fallen on her knees had she not been on the bed.

She winked. "You know it." This side of Ryou, the possible alter ego, really intrigued her. Maybe the boy she fell for really had something sinister to hide.

The "alter ego" (really the evil spirit) grabbed her arms and managed to pull her under him. His erection was blunt against her moistening junction and she spread her legs, ready to grind against him.

"Oh you saucy minx," he said, returning the favor. She gasped when he bucked extra hard. He assaulted her neck with somewhat gentle bites and was scraping his nails down her body. He was playing with the elastic waistband of her panties when she stopped him.

"As much as I would love for you to pound away at me, I don't think that is wise when you don't have a condom." Sure, last night she was willing, but her more rational side was more awake than her horny side.

He chuckled. "Really now?" She nodded, a little anxious now. This side didn't seem to have limits. His hand was inside the panties, fingering her relentlessly. She gripped the sheets, wanting more but not sure how to articulate it.

He was whipping his dick out of the fly of the boxers, pushing her panties to the side, when she quickly pulled away and closed her legs.

"Hey, as much as I want it, I really would rather you use protection." This time she pulled a blanket over her, showing she wasn't going to go further unless he understood.

He didn't.

"Now, now, _Az-chan_," the spirit mocked, "I get my kicks when I plunder and ravage. And here you are, a tomb, or should I say womb, ready to be violated and stolen away. You are in my bed, with my rules, and I can do what I like to you."

Azrael was horrified as he came closer, maliciously slow, knowing she wouldn't fight back, when he stopped, a contorted look upon his face.

_Not today spirit!_

And with that, Ryou, filled with the power of love, took over his own body. The spirit was none too pleased, but he knew he'd get his kicks soon. This wasn't the time to fight quite yet. He was too hasty, with the delicious treasure poised delicately before him, taunting and teasing him.

Ryou shook his head, as if to clear his thoughts. "Az-chan, I am so sorry!" She stared blankly, not sure how to respond. He saw a look of horror on her face though.

"I probably should have told you… I kind of have a split personality…? And sometimes it takes over."

Azrael nodded, figuring as much. "It's ok. I'm glad the real you is back… If this is the real you."

He nodded. "Yes. This… bad side of me came not too long after my sister died…" He was lying. He knew how the spirit came to him. But that was a complicated story no one needed to know.

She nodded, not wanting to discuss this anymore. She loved pain, but only consensual pain. And rape wasn't something she was willing to let happen to her. "It really is fine Ryou… I'll… just have to work with this side of yours…"

He was glad she wasn't put off by him, but secretly terrified that she'd get hurt if she went further with him. But he decided to change the subject.

"Az-chan?"

"Yes?"

"Do you need to go home to get ready for school?"

She looked at him, very confused. And then, like a tsunami, it hit her. Today was Monday.

"Oh, cripes, yes! I need to get my uniform!" She flew out of his bed, out of his room, finding her clothes on the floor in the kitchen still. She hastily put them on, knowing she looked like exactly what she looked like but this wasn't the time for her to be concerned with people slut shaming her.

"I'll see you at school!" And she raced out of his door, more out of fear than anything.

Azrael never knew fear, true bodily fear, until this day. Perhaps it would be a humbling experience for her.

Two hours later, Azrael was in her seat, hair uncombed, body still smelling of sweat, hoping the other students, or worse, _teachers_, didn't notice. Normally, she kept her hair fairly nice, and she was always clean, but today she felt like a sloppy hobo wandering in for a bite to eat.

Oh well. Everyone has those days.

Yuugi noticed though. But he was always very keen where his friends were concerned. They all were actually. They genuinely liked Azrael, even if she was a little different.

However, they could tell when someone was having an off day, and their approach was to not acknowledge it unless it persisted. Azrael had never shown a sign of distress before, so it really could be one of those days when a cat got caught in the plumbing and thus the water wasn't running at her house. Or maybe a tree trimmer accidentally trimmed a line that powered her house. These things do happen.

But while Azrael didn't have to worry about her good friends snooping, there was one friend, if she could call him that, who would snoop. Who would pry so deep it would leave her broken.

Seto Kaiba knew she had sex with Ryou.

The way she would awkwardly glance at Ryou… The way he would smile in her general direction… They were passing notes and blushing at whatever the other would say. Ryou had obviously showered, but Azrael was so _filthy_ it was clear she went to his apartment. Kaiba knew Ryou lived by himself. He knew Azrael lived with her brain dead mother. Of course she went to Ryou's. Her walk of shame was evident in her appearance.

He was furious. Seething. Raging.

This girl, this _young woman_, with hair the color of a sunset and eyes the same shade as the Emerald Isle itself, legs as long as the ocean was deep and skin golden from some forgotten heritage, was the source of all the frustration built up in his system. She was _so damn smart_. He downloaded her files. He knew what degrees she had. He knew her entire past. The dead father and younger siblings. The stint in the asylum.

_God damn he wanted her_.

She would get herself killed if she continued with Ryou. The boy, as sweet as _he _was, was a threat. There was something off, though not occult, science be damned. He was a sociopath. Why couldn't anyone see that?

Every night Seto Kaiba had to fight off the urges he felt towards Azrael. Because _that also was wrong._

See, people saw Seto Kaiba as being a sociopath, and while that wasn't entirely untrue, he wouldn't describe it as such. Because this was himself and he prided himself on too many attributes to be seen as some flawed form of sociopathic disorder. But even he knew to feel entitled to another being was…wrong. In the past, he wouldn't have cared. He killed people. Their lives meant nothing to him. But that duel with Yuugi… That coma… It all opened up a side of him he forgot he had.

A human heart.

So while he lied and said he didn't care about people, and while he lusted after Azrael in secret, and had a hard on for a dragon, and controlled a company that could own the world if he even tried, he wouldn't _rape_ the girl. And he wouldn't kill again. At least, not an innocent person. He'd kill Gozaburo again if someone gave him the chance though. Because fuck that guy.

But Kaiba felt that people should go and do what they like. Because that was what made games, and for him, games was life. And while he certainly didn't agree with a number of lifestyles, he knew it wasn't his place to tell people what they could and couldn't do. Except for Yuugi. Because, again, fuck that guy. Yuugi just needed to lose to him once and Seto would be perfectly happy again.

But we all know, even if Kaiba beat Yuugi, he would never settle. He'd say something like, "Oh you forfeited. You didn't give me your all" or some really gay shit, something that would show he really did feel that "duelist's fire", and keep on stalking Yuugi. Because unless he fucking had an orgasm from a duel, winning against Yuugi would never be enough. Fangirls be tripping balls for that ship fodder.

He did think he was the better catch. Because he fucking was. He was richer, more intelligent, taller, more handsome (though that was more subjective and different for the beholder), and he was definitely better at card games. But, because that is life and sometimes you lose battles even though you're better at the game, Azrael still would want Ryou. And Kaiba, though very grudging over how _unfair_ that was, he could sort of accept it.

But that motherfucker viewed life as a game, once called his own life a chip with which he could play and he would never give up. He would make Azrael see the error of her ways, because stubborn pride be damned and all that jazz.

When school was over, Azrael didn't even have a chance to ask if Ryou would be interested in a round two. Kaiba pulled her out of the school so fast no one even realized she was gone until she was about thirty feet out of the front lawn.

"What the hell, Kaiba…" She tried pulling away but his grip was like a vice and she knew something was up. "Do you _need_ something?"

"I need you to understand one thing," he disclosed as he dragged her around one corner. He was aiming for a cozy little bus stop that would serve as a place to share secret information. "Despite my disdain for everything you've done, I still respect you."

"whaaa…" she mouthed as he hurled her into the bench. He sat next to her. It was a very strange sight: the CEO, who would never on a normal basis sit on a wooden bench, and the foreign looking girl, who looked like she rolled out of a dumpster. "What the hell are you talking about?" She emphasized.

"You fucked Bakura."

She felt her stomach drop out of existence. So it was obvious. Of course it was. Who was she trying to kid?

"After I told you he was a threat to you."

Oh he was _not_ going to lecture her on that!

"You son of a bitch, that is MY-"

But he silenced her with his mouth before she could even begin to verbally assault him.

Wait, his _mouth?!_

That skinny CEO, that bastard, that sadistic orphan, was _kissing _her?!

She was outraged, and she punched him.

"You slimy piece of shit, don't you dare disrespect _my _choices and then kiss me! I am not some pawn in a game! I do what I want, because I'm a person! And yeah, I'm a little masochistic, and yeah, I'm insane, and I have had a shitty life, but for fuck's sake, I _care about him so much_ and if _you_ care about _me_, you'll leave my choices to me." She was fuming. She could have killed him she was so mad, but that was the difference between herself and him. She still had a hold of her heart, for the most part.

Seto's slipped between his fingers because it was in shambles.

He felt where she punched him, left cheek, right underneath the bone, and smirked. "I like that about you."

She gave him a look that said: _and you still have the gall…?_

"I don't mean to disrespect you. It's your body and life. I don't really care how many times you fucked him. I don't care how many times he fucked you." He looked her dead in the eyes. "But what I _do_ care about is your safety, because I know you don't have a sense for pain, and I know you think it's all fun in games until someone gets hurt, but that's a bad way to go about a relationship, and I am not about to let you do that to yourself. I won't sit idly by while that psychopath hurts you beyond all reasoning, breaks you beyond all repair. I like you. A lot. More than any regular person. And if you like me, you'll heed my words."

She stared. Simply stared. She didn't know how to really feel. She didn't know what to say. So she laughed.

"I think the friendship speeches from Yuugi and Anzu have finally gotten to you."

He smirked, knowing it was a joke, but said seriously, "Don't bring them into this. They're too naïve to see the real problem here."

"And the problem is…?"

"You dating Bakura."

She rolled her eyes. "I don't think it's really dating yet…"

"But you fucked him."

"Well… We didn't go all the way."

"Regardless, you had sexual contact. It's obvious. So you fucked him."

And with that statement, Kaiba just debunked the social construct of virginity.

"Kaiba… Ryou is _good_."

He rolled his eyes at her this time. "Yeah, but that doesn't mean anything."

She saw students filing out of the school. Soon Yuugi and his friends would be upon them. "We can discuss this later. Tonight? On the phone?"

He shrugged.

"You probably have my number."

He made a noncommittal gesture.

"You'll probably call me later after work."

He looked away.

"I'll tell you everything."

He quirked his lips in a trademark smirk. "It's a date."


	8. Chapter 8

**Whoa an update. So just a little warning there is some violence and mention of rape, so if that makes you uncomfortable you do not have to read. It is very brief though, if that helps.**

Chapter 8: Home is Wherever I'm with You

When Azrael got home, her mother was up and about, not compulsively making dinner with potatoes like she always did. She was uncharacteristically dusting the kitchen. Azrael stared after her for a few minutes, and then headed upstairs.

"Where were you last night, my dear?" Her mother called after her in a sing-song, borderline insane voice. "You were not here. I could smell it."

Well, that was the weirdest thing her mother ever said. She hadn't spoken to her in at least a year.

"I went to a friend's house to do homework, and lost track of time. Didn't feel like walking alone in the dark to get home, so I stayed over." It was an easy enough lie. It was reasonable. Her mother never cared before.

Something changed.

"Was this a male friend?" Her mother's eyes showed the woman wasn't all there. Her expression was vacant like a dog wondering where it buried its bone. But those lost eyes roamed over Azrael's countenance, looked at the dirty uniform that hadn't been washed in at least two days, the unkempt hair, and the mildly oily skin.

"Why does that matter, _Ka-san_?"

"Because I will not have a teenage delinquent. Did you fuck him?"

Her mother's concern was frightening. Her mother _never_ cared.

"No. We ate dinner and finished homework. Nothing happened."

"_Lies_."

It was officially the scariest thing her mother said. The woman's eyes were staring into some other realm, not altogether seeing her own daughter. There was a knife in her hand suddenly.

"The delinquent must be punished. Must be purified. I will not have a whore in this house."

She charged at Azrael.

She sensed it coming and turned before her mother could stab the knife through her chest. She managed to make it halfway up the stairs, but her mother managed to slice the back of her calf. Hot blood jetted out of the deep cut, and it felt good, but Azrael was intelligent enough to know if left unchecked, it could turn into a nasty infection that was life threatening. She got in her room and locked the door, barricading it with her desk, all electronics strewn across the room.

The knife came through the cheap panel wood, but it wasn't enough to fully destroy the door. Her mother assaulted the door, hoping to get to her "delinquent" daughter in some sort of sick intervention, but it would hold. Her mother wasn't that strong.

Azrael was smart to keep the phone in her room. She dialed the emergency number and a dispatcher answered.

She got in touch with the police and the dispatcher let the girl know help would be there in as little as ten minutes. Azrael said she didn't have ten minutes. The door had several cracks in it now, blade sized cracks, and the door was weakened enough that her mother could easily break the lock soon.

She looked around her room for some kind of defense, any kind of defense. But there was none.

Her phone rang.

_Oh my god if that's Kaiba... At a time like this... _But someone had to know. Kaiba's office wasn't too far away...

"Oh my god who is this?!" Azrael cried. Real tears were in her eyes. Her leg throbbed, and normally she would relish in the sweet pain, but her life was in real danger.

"_Onikso? It's Kaiba. What the hell is going on?"_ He could hear the slamming of the knife through the door. _"Is it Bakura?"_ He knew it.

"No! It's my mom! She's trying to kill me! I'm locked in my room and she's trying to break it down with a knife. I'm scared. Oh my god, please help, I don't have any defense and I don't think the cops will get here in time, oh my god I don't wanna die..."

"_I'm on it."_ And the line was dead.

_What the hell will he do? Oh my god her hand's through the door! She's going for the lock; no please I don't want to die like this..._

And she heard voices. Deep voices that were not her mother's.

Help had arrived.

She could hear a scuffle. Her mother shrieked incoherently, a male voice cursed, but then suddenly it was silent.

"Are you ok in there?!" yelled another voice through the door. It was Kaiba.

How the hell did he make it there in less than five minutes?!

Before Azrael could respond, sirens could be heard. _Oh now they're here..._ She thought sardonically.

Had Kaiba not called, she would have been dead. It was a sobering thought.

New voices could be heard as her saviors explained how Azrael was a friend of Mister Kaiba and she asked him as well for help (the authorities didn't need to know the real purpose of his call). Apparently, he sent his security team the moment she answered the phone, as he heard the commotion and was immediately concerned.

When Azrael moved her barricade out of the way so the cops could investigate inside, she saw her mother lying on the floor, unconscious. The security man explained he had tazed the woman.

Ok, so she wasn't dead at least, but at this point Azrael didn't care. She wasn't attached to her mother anyway, and was very independent, so whether the woman would survive the ordeal meant nothing to her.

She was old enough to live on her own anyway. Maybe she'd move in with Ryou.

Like Kaiba would let her.

An ambulance had also arrived, and took care of her leg, wrapping it up tightly in gauze. The wound would need stitches. They wanted to take her to the ER, but she said she would go by herself.

Unfortunately, Kaiba insisted she go.

So she let the paramedics take her into the ambulance, and Kaiba followed behind. His concern would have touched others, but Azrael was annoyed at best.

All this, because he had a crush on her. He would never admit to that though.

The paramedics asked her the usual questions, and finally the ones that were always awkward no matter who one was.

Was she sexually active?

She declined, because technically she didn't have actual sex, but Kaiba interrupted.

"Don't lie, Onikso. Tell them the truth." Whether he was trying to get it out of her so he would know what actually happened, or to torture her, she didn't know, but she was irritated all the same.

"Ok, whatever. Technically I am not, but a guy did perform oral on me. God damn, Kaiba, why the hell-"

"Did you use protection?" asked the paramedic.

"What?! No, you don't need protection for oral. How the hell do you put a condom on a vag-"

"We'll have to do an STD check then," the paramedic told his assistant.

"WHAT WHY. THAT IS TOTALLY UNCALLED FOR-"

"Honey," the paramedic condescendingly said, "any transmission of bodily fluids, such as saliva or blood or semen or vaginal secretions, can cause disease. Oral sex is just as risky as genital to genital, thus we must check."

She groaned. "We're both virgins though. He doesn't have anything..."

"He could have herpes. Cold sores are type 1 herpes."

"Yeah, but that's not going to give _me_ herpes."

"It can." The paramedic deadpanned.

"And you said you were a genius, Onikso," Kaiba laughed.

So she was pretty stupid when it came to sex stuff. Blame the lack of sex ed.

She groaned and cradled her head in her hands. "I cannot believe this is happening."

"Was that your only sexual contact?" asked the paramedic, now starting to feel bad for the girl, but still professional.

"No. I sucked his dick, too. And no, we didn't use a condom."

"Then a blood test is in order. Is there any chance you're pregnant?"

"Unless semen I swallowed can somehow end up in my fallopian tubes through my digestive system, then no. I can't be pregnant."

The paramedic nodded and continued examining the patient. Kaiba laughed as she grew more annoyed.

They finally arrived at the hospital and immediately Azrael was taken to a room where they would stitch up her leg. Surprisingly enough, they let Kaiba in with her, even though he wasn't family. Azrael had always hated that rule. What good was family? She didn't really have one anymore.

After checking her vitals again, the nurse left to get the stuff done for her stitches. Kaiba decided he would ask then.

"What's wrong with your mother?"

She scoffed. "You should know, since you got dirt on me."

"My research indicated nothing of your mother. I only know she took your father's and siblings' deaths hard, but it did not say she was fucking insane."

She shrugged. "_Ka-san_ just snapped. Potatoes were my dad's favorite food so she became fixated on them and would always be cooking them. I have no idea why she snapped at me today."

He looked at her, with a knowing smirk. "You're lying."

"I really don't know why! When I got home, she asked where I was last night and I told her I went to a friend's house to do homework and she was like '_it was a boy wasn't it!' _ and she went psycho on me." He raised his eyebrows at her. "I didn't think she would take to boys so badly. She never gave me a sex talk."

"What was her religious state?" He asked, almost as if he already knew the answer.

"She was Catholic as far as I knew. My dad was a missionary and came to Japan. Met my mom. Got married. Had three psychopaths." She rolled her eyes. "They weren't good for each other."

"Well, that explains her views on sex. From what I understand, Catholics aren't fond of pre-marital sex or abortions."

"That's like the entire world, and there are still teen pregnancies and people are still being raped and sex is like a driving force behind so many criminal outlets."

He chuckled. "It makes you wonder if maybe religions are against it because it helps them control the more naïve populace."

She laughed. "Pretty sure that's _exactly _what's happening."

They both laughed, because it hurt them both. But they would never tell the other that.

Once the laughter died down, it grew somber, almost like at a funeral. Her smile disappeared altogether, and Kaiba never really smiled unless he was thinking of forcing someone into bankruptcy. She shrugged.

"You're a good friend, Kaiba-san."

He snorted and rolled his eyes, turning away. "As if." He was downplaying it. No one ever told him that. It was almost embarrassing.

"No, I mean it. Other people would have been confused as a newborn kitten, but you, like, instantly knew I needed help. I wish I could properly thank you."

He smirked and turned back. "There is one way…"

Her mind went the opposite direction. "I am _not_ sucking your dick too."

He scoffed, apparently appalled, gesturing as if that was the most disturbing thing she could say. "I wouldn't ever ask that of you. That's disgusting."

She shrugged, not really caring. "Then what were you thinking?"

"You could ditch Bakura." He didn't smile this time.

She glared. "No. I'm not going into this again. I love him."

He straightened, knowing the playfulness was over. "Azrael, you haven't even known him long enough to say that. You can't just say you love people after fucking them. It's probably the oxytocin saying that." He sighed, running a hand through his straight brown hair. He didn't really believe that theory, since it was debunked years ago. In fact, love, to him, wasn't something that existed. But he had no other way of explaining or finding her sudden claim of love reasonable or rational. "You're smarter than this. You know he's bad news."

She remembered this morning, how Ryou seemed so different and wanted to rape her. How he almost succeeded in forcing himself on her. She looked down, her body collapsing in on itself.

Kaiba noticed the change. "He did something."

She instantly grew defensive, straightening out, tensing up. "No, he did NOT-"

"Look me in the eye and say that." He took a step toward her, lifting her face with his right hand.

Tears surfaced on her lower lids.

"I knew it."

He was almost gone in a flash when she called after him, "Seto, you were right! He's crazy, but it isn't something he can control. For the love of everything nice, PLEASE come back!"

He appeared back in the doorway, the use of his first name very foreign except from his brother. "Do you know what's wrong with him?

She let out a breath as if it would calm her. It didn't. "He has a split personality."

He chuckled. "Told you there was something off about him. Is it something he can be medicated for?"

She grew irritated. "I'm sure it can, I mean, I knew people like that growing up, but I don't know if maybe his dose is too weak or if he's even on it-"

A nurse appeared. "Time for your stitches dear."

She groaned and raised her eyes to the ceiling. "Why does this shit happen to me?"

Seto Kaiba laughed, _really _laughed, as the nurse started fixing Azrael's wound. It was a gruff, barking sound that sounded almost hoarse, like it wasn't in use often. She glared at him, angry that she couldn't fly out of the bed and punch him in his stupid perfect face again.

In a better world where life actually went right, she would have been with him. But in this life, she was glad he was her friend. She needed someone condescending like him. Someone patronizing. Almost motherly.

"Hey, Kaiba, be my new mom." The nurse gave her a funny look, but Azrael ignored her, hoping to get a rise out of Kaiba. He raised an eyebrow, confused.

"I don't get it…?"

"The way you watch after me reminds me of a mother hen. You should be my new mom."

"I have the wrong reproductive organs to be a mother." Azrael laughed at how straight faced he said it.

"In this world, you don't have to actually be female to have a motherly role."

He threw his head back, eyes looking for a god he didn't believe in. "I am not about to discuss gender identities right now. Save it for another day when I have patience."

He knew she just wanted to get a rise out of him. She wouldn't get it.

The nurse finished the job and left quickly, to get paperwork to release Azrael. Azrael smiled at Kaiba.

"I kinda like calling you Seto."

He turned his head and gave her a look of incredulity. "You used it once. Don't make it a habit."

"But Seto, if we're gonna be friends, I think you should let me. I mean, you're my mother now. Not my friend."

He ran a hand through his hair. She noticed how it was no longer perfectly coifed. It must have been a long day for his hair product to not do its job. "God damn it, being your mother is annoying."

She smiled with utter glee. "So does that mean I'm officially your new heir?"

"No, you're my ward. My brother is my heir." If it was a joke, she couldn't detect it.

She pouted in a mocking way. "Oh poo, I really wanted to take over and run your company into the ground."

He sneered. "Do that and you're dead."

She laughed. "Come on, _Mama-san_, I'm just kidding." He didn't like her using the honorific. It was insulting.

"Call me Seto. Don't ever call me _Mama-san_ again."

"No –_san?_"

He nodded. "Just Seto is fine. I find honorifics taxing."

She laughed. "Wow that is the laziest thing I've ever heard. You're hilarious."

She was eventually released, given some mild pain killers and told to report anything amiss. She left with Kaiba, his limo waiting patiently like a faithful dog.

"Hey, thanks for everything. I really do appreciate you, Seto." Azrael said as she waited outside the limo. He gave her a funny look.

"You're getting in, aren't' you?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. I feel like I need the air, to be honest."

He got out, told the driver something, and the limo sped off.

"I'll come with you."

"You don't have to," she muttered nonchalantly. In truth, she really liked his company.

"You've been injured. And you can't feel pain. I'm not letting you walk around and possibly pass out. That would be irresponsible."

"Okay, _Mama-san_." She winked at him. He sighed in annoyance. "And it's not like I can't _feel _pain; it's more like it just gives me pleasure."

He ignored that comment and let her lead the way. She wasn't really sure where she was going. They walked in silence for a long time, enjoying the light evening breeze. The street lights were starting to come on and young couples darted out of the way, for fear the light would illuminate their trysts. For a moment, Azrael wished Ryou was with her, so they could engage in the activity and be a normal couple too, but she knew there was work to be done for there to be any normalcy.

For the first time in her life, she wished she was normal. She wished she wasn't a masochist, wished Ryou wasn't insane (possibly), wished her family wasn't a clusterfuck, and wished that her friendship with Kaiba wasn't borderline romance. She knew he had feelings for her, if he could call them feelings. But she was thankful he was the one person she could depend on.

He would hate her for saying it, but he was truly a loyal friend. His confidence in himself gave her the strength to keep fighting whatever monsters were tormenting her. Yuugi influenced him well.

He interrupted her thoughts. "Why the hell are you crying?"

She touched her cheeks. There were tear trails. "I really don't know."

"That's a lie."

"…I wish I was normal."

And here were the tears.

"I mean, yeah it's kinda cool being a masochist, and I know I definitely have a colorful history but it would be so nice to at least be normal! Like, why do I have to go through all this shit? My mother fucking stabbed me, for shit's sake! Who does that? Who does that happen to?!"

She collapsed, but he caught her. He led her to a bench. She sobbed into his chest. He knew the shock of what happened was finally affecting her.

"You are seriously the only normal thing in my life, and even so, you're not quite normal. You're kinda extraordinary but it's the good kind, so yay. You did something right."

He didn't hold her or try to pat her back. Really, he wasn't sure what to do. Just letting her cry seemed an appropriate choice. He knew some people needed that kind of validation. So he let her cry. It was truly the most awkward thing he had ever done. He didn't have friends. He usually didn't care. But there was something about her he could respect. With Yuugi, it was the kind of caring that only rivals had for each other: a mutual respect and a drive to outdo the other. Yuugi was a challenge, and Kaiba loved challenges. Jounouchi was a loser and did not hold Kaiba's respect. He respected him as much as he respected a dog in obedience training, and that was as far as it went. The others? He didn't hold them in high regards. Honda just followed them around and there wasn't anything he disliked more than someone with no gumption or drive. He appreciated Anzu's dedication to her friends and her determination to help them succeed. In a better life, he would have wished he was Anzu's childhood friend. But that was in the past and so it didn't affect him.

But with Azrael… She was like him, in that her life was pretty tragic. They were both super smart. She was as manipulative as him, albeit a little more coy than he. Whereas he was bitter (as Mokuba often put it), Azrael was a beam of sunshine and seeing her in this state wasn't something he liked seeing. But he stayed with her, and intended to until the end of whatever fit she was having.

"And, like, thanks for not trying to be all 'it's going to be ok' because I know it will be someday, but right now I'm just unsure of my life and choices." She sat up and wiped away the tears. "Is this what pain is?"

"Emotional pain, yes." His gaze seemed to lead somewhere far away, not quite in this time of night. Some other place in time.

"Have you ever felt emotional pain?"

He snapped back to the present and glared at her. "Duh." Yes, he had felt it. And it was beaten out of him.

She wiped her nose on her sleeve. "You seem so strong. I can't imagine what exactly you could go through."

He inhaled quite sharply. "You should go home."

"Oh god, if you want to get rid of me, it must be bad."

He got up; walking towards what she assumed could be her house, or at least its general direction. "It's getting late."

"Seto, now I'm concerned…" She was up too.

"Don't be. It's in the past."

"Oh my god, did your mom stab you too?!"

"You need to rest, Azrael."

"I don't think I will, knowing my best friend is hurting!"

He stopped at that. "Best friend…?"

She gulped. "Yeah… I mean, who else would have done what you did?"

He turned to her, a playful smile on his face. It was a little scary, like it didn't belong. "I thought I was your mother."

She howled at that. "Oh my GOD Seto!"

He managed to sway her attention and he kept jibing at her about being her mother. He knew she probably would come back to his "pain" again in the future, but that was something he could handle then. Not now.

He walked her into her house when they arrived. He got started on some tea, as if he knew everything in the house already. Then again, it was set up like any normal house.

"Ehhh, why are you making tea?"

"So you'll relax and go to sleep. It's been a rough day."

"Goodness, you really are my new mom."

He glared at her. "Sit down and do your homework or whatever. Watch TV. Just relax."

"You're being out of character. What will Jounouchi say?" She did as he said and turned on the TV. A game show was playing.

"Don't tell him anything and we will be just fine. Drink up." He sat down with her in the living room, setting the tea onto the coffee table. "How is your leg?"

"Surprisingly the stitches are holding up. I thought I would bleed." She grasped her cup and sipped quietly.

He took a sip as well before saying, "Will you be fine tonight?"

She shrugged. "I don't see why not. I'm used to being alone anyway and doing things for myself. I should be fine." She put her leg on top of the coffee table. A part of her wanted to probe it because the throbbing excited her, but she knew Seto would throw a fit.

He didn't say anything to that, just continued sipping and thinking.

They stayed silent for a while, the game show's comical music very dissonant compared to the serious air in the room. Azrael watched halfheartedly, not really paying attention, but Kaiba's focus was on her completely. He couldn't tell how she was feeling. She masked her pain well, emotional or otherwise. He didn't really understand what it meant to be masochistic, because he didn't like physical pain at all, history be damned. But he knew he was quite the sadist, at least at one point. Now, teasing and tormenting his opponents was fun, but he didn't want to be involved in physically hurting people anymore. His Death-T days were a dark time he didn't like to think about.

It was getting late and he knew he should be going home. He had paperwork to fill out and codes to write. But something just didn't sit right with him.

For one, why did he care? Seto Kaiba was known for being heartless. He didn't fire employees for the fun of it; he usually hired the best, so he didn't know where those rumors came from. But he could be strict and tough, and he was a ruthless duelist. He didn't care if you were a sore loser; he'd rub even more salt in the wound just to make himself laugh.

He felt like they were perhaps kindred spirits, people lost to their own histories and defined as such, people who never really felt love, except from maybe a select few, people that were running from their pasts because the future was definitely better than that dark place. It was all they had going for themselves, running towards the future.

And for another, why did he let this happen? How did it happen? He didn't think it was love. Yes, he liked her, and yes, kissing her was kind of fun and nice, but this whole feeling of caring was so out of character for him. It was almost forced. The only person he ever felt so strongly for was Mokuba, but that was his little brother, and everything he did was for Mokuba's future. "Suffer now, prosper later" was a mantra he often chanted in his pre-adoption days, and it worked. To grow feelings of any sort for someone he simply shared classes with was out of the ordinary.

He didn't know the answers, but the questions revolved through his head. He had to leave now. He had to get space so he could study this phenomenon on his own.

He got up from the couch, adjacent to the small chair she was sitting in by the coffee table. He rolled his shoulders back, hearing them pop, and picked up his cup to clean it at the sink.

She didn't move, but she turned his head toward him and called after him, "You're leaving already?"

He came back to her. "It's almost eleven. I still have a host of things to do."

"Life is always busy for our favorite CEO," she uttered sardonically. "I suppose I'll see you tomorrow at school."

He grunted. "You should stay off that leg. I can't imagine you running laps in your condition."

She groaned. "Oh you're right! Tomorrow we have to do that physical test, or whatever. Damn it all."

Kaiba rolled his eyes at her clear disgust with PE. "In any case, I'll let the teachers know you're out sick and I'll bring your work to you tomorrow."

Azrael glared at him. "You _really _want me to stay home? What if my mom comes back?"

"I assure you," he flashed a sick smile, "that won't be the case."

She wasn't sure what that meant, but he seemed very confident that she would be safe here. She sank deeper in her chair and had no intention of leaving it. "If that's what you want…"

Instinctively, he walked closer and left a hand on her shoulder. "It's not what I want, but rather what you need. With a head as empty as yours, someone has to do the thinking." He chuckled.

She caught his snipe at her. "Oh, that's messed up. Whatever _Mama-san._" She swatted his hand away.

He chuckled again, a little louder this time and turned towards the door. "Don't call me _Mama-san_."

But she could tell he didn't really mean it.


End file.
